Comments on: Gustav: Fund Raising and Politics http://hausercenter.org/iha/archives/21 The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:25:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: BethP http://hausercenter.org/iha/archives/21/comment-page-1#comment-725 BethP Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:07:25 +0000 http://hausercenter.org/iha/?p=21#comment-725 Perpetual questions--what is the role of government? What is the role of the non-profit sector? What is the role of for-profit and non-profit partnership? You make a good point in saying that small grassroots organizations are often uniquely poised to address the needs of a community. Not only are they "on the ground," but they are also typically staffed by people from the community itself. It's unfortunate that organizations which could potentially have the greatest impact have the most difficult time leveraging funds. Perpetual questions–what is the role of government? What is the role of the non-profit sector? What is the role of for-profit and non-profit partnership?

You make a good point in saying that small grassroots organizations are often uniquely poised to address the needs of a community. Not only are they “on the ground,” but they are also typically staffed by people from the community itself. It’s unfortunate that organizations which could potentially have the greatest impact have the most difficult time leveraging funds.

]]> By: Ted Serrant http://hausercenter.org/iha/archives/21/comment-page-1#comment-672 Ted Serrant Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:00:07 +0000 http://hausercenter.org/iha/?p=21#comment-672 Rick, as a student of human security, I am interested in hearing your suggestions on what exactly you think the candidates should be doing or what would be your advice to polititians or the government with respect to how they think about humanitarianism Rick, as a student of human security, I am interested in hearing your suggestions on what exactly you think the candidates should be doing or what would be your advice to polititians or the government with respect to how they think about humanitarianism

]]> By: Lucy Bernholz http://hausercenter.org/iha/archives/21/comment-page-1#comment-627 Lucy Bernholz Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:54:24 +0000 http://hausercenter.org/iha/?p=21#comment-627 Great points, Tony - thanks for putting this out there. Great points, Tony - thanks for putting this out there.

]]> By: Rick Cohen http://hausercenter.org/iha/archives/21/comment-page-1#comment-625 Rick Cohen Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:21:49 +0000 http://hausercenter.org/iha/?p=21#comment-625 I read your point in that Aspen NSPP publication when it first came out, and i think you're raising valid issues--that the candidates' default "give to the ARC" messages underscore. My concern is that our sector's recent experience with national commissions has left me a little cold. Increasingly, we see the large nonprofits waving the small/local nonprofits' flag, but only as cover to make sure that they continue to be protected and cushioned by both federal policy and nonprofit sector norms. A solid commission investigation that works quickly, avoids the disingenuous positioning of past/recent efforts, gets informed by grassroots experience, and generates tough standards rather than fluffy bromides, that would be great. But your excellent recommendation (item #7 in that 10-point "Mobilizing Change" report from Aspen) in some ways underscores the point--there was a good measure of nonprofit sector fluff in some of the other points, some of which sounding quite like the candidates' nonprofit platitudes. The sector needs serious attention like the kind of work you've done in your analyses of what happened around Hurricane Katrina. Is the sector up for that kind of tough self-scrutiny? I don't know. I read your point in that Aspen NSPP publication when it first came out, and i think you’re raising valid issues–that the candidates’ default “give to the ARC” messages underscore. My concern is that our sector’s recent experience with national commissions has left me a little cold. Increasingly, we see the large nonprofits waving the small/local nonprofits’ flag, but only as cover to make sure that they continue to be protected and cushioned by both federal policy and nonprofit sector norms. A solid commission investigation that works quickly, avoids the disingenuous positioning of past/recent efforts, gets informed by grassroots experience, and generates tough standards rather than fluffy bromides, that would be great. But your excellent recommendation (item #7 in that 10-point “Mobilizing Change” report from Aspen) in some ways underscores the point–there was a good measure of nonprofit sector fluff in some of the other points, some of which sounding quite like the candidates’ nonprofit platitudes. The sector needs serious attention like the kind of work you’ve done in your analyses of what happened around Hurricane Katrina. Is the sector up for that kind of tough self-scrutiny? I don’t know.

]]> By: Tony Pipa http://hausercenter.org/iha/archives/21/comment-page-1#comment-622 Tony Pipa Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:44:24 +0000 http://hausercenter.org/iha/?p=21#comment-622 Rick, I agree. As you've said in the Chronicle of Philanthropy (http://philanthropy.com/premium/articles/v20/i19/19003702.htm), both candidates have strong ties to the nonprofit sector. But as you point out, neither has laid out a comprehensive vision for exploring the relationship between government and the nonprofit sector and seeking ways to improve the sector's accountability and develop ways to ensure we're making best use of its strengths. For example, one of the strengths of the local sector in terms of disaster response is its local knowledge and the amount of trust placed in it by affected residents, but we almost wholly ignore that in the way plans are designed. I was involved in the recent publication by the Aspen Institute that called for the creation of a national commission to study this and develop recommendations. What do you think of that idea? http://www.aspeninstitute.org/site/c.huLWJeMRKpH/b.612023/k.22C4/The_Nonprofit_Sector_and_Philanthropy_Program.htm Rick, I agree. As you’ve said in the Chronicle of Philanthropy (http://philanthropy.com/premium/articles/v20/i19/19003702.htm), both candidates have strong ties to the nonprofit sector. But as you point out, neither has laid out a comprehensive vision for exploring the relationship between government and the nonprofit sector and seeking ways to improve the sector’s accountability and develop ways to ensure we’re making best use of its strengths. For example, one of the strengths of the local sector in terms of disaster response is its local knowledge and the amount of trust placed in it by affected residents, but we almost wholly ignore that in the way plans are designed. I was involved in the recent publication by the Aspen Institute that called for the creation of a national commission to study this and develop recommendations. What do you think of that idea? http://www.aspeninstitute.org/site/c.huLWJeMRKpH/b.612023/k.22C4/The_Nonprofit_Sector_and_Philanthropy_Program.htm

]]> By: Rick Cohen http://hausercenter.org/iha/archives/21/comment-page-1#comment-597 Rick Cohen Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:56:30 +0000 http://hausercenter.org/iha/?p=21#comment-597 Tony: Good posting. But it raises bigger issues than simply the candidates' understanding of disaster relief and the roles of local nonprofits versus the ARC and others. It raises a question, which you know I've written about in the Chronicle of Philanthropy and elsewhere, concerning how seriously the candidates think about the nonprofit sector, how much they know or in some cases care to know. The platforms of both candidates on nonprofits are pretty weak--McCain's actually nonexistent, Obama's focused on community service and social enterprise. Their "give to the ARC" messages are of a piece that suggests that this time around, the nonprofit sector isn't getting much serious thought from the political camps. To some extent, we've brought it a bit on ourselves, with the past year's emphasis on getting candidates to mouth "I (heart) nonprofits" while on the stump. We can do better, and if we do better, we might compel the candidates to do so as well. Tony: Good posting. But it raises bigger issues than simply the candidates’ understanding of disaster relief and the roles of local nonprofits versus the ARC and others. It raises a question, which you know I’ve written about in the Chronicle of Philanthropy and elsewhere, concerning how seriously the candidates think about the nonprofit sector, how much they know or in some cases care to know. The platforms of both candidates on nonprofits are pretty weak–McCain’s actually nonexistent, Obama’s focused on community service and social enterprise. Their “give to the ARC” messages are of a piece that suggests that this time around, the nonprofit sector isn’t getting much serious thought from the political camps. To some extent, we’ve brought it a bit on ourselves, with the past year’s emphasis on getting candidates to mouth “I (heart) nonprofits” while on the stump. We can do better, and if we do better, we might compel the candidates to do so as well.

]]> By: Philanthropy Daily Digest | Tactical Philanthropy http://hausercenter.org/iha/archives/21/comment-page-1#comment-595 Philanthropy Daily Digest | Tactical Philanthropy Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:00:50 +0000 http://hausercenter.org/iha/?p=21#comment-595 [...] Humanitarian and International Development NGOs » Gustav: Fund Raising and Politics Tactical Philanthropy reader Tony Pipa, founder of the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, joins the chorus of people bothered by the Obama/Bush/McCain message for people to give to the Red Cross. (tags: philanthropy) This entry was written by admin and posted on September 4, 2008 at 10:47 am. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment. [...] [...] Humanitarian and International Development NGOs » Gustav: Fund Raising and Politics Tactical Philanthropy reader Tony Pipa, founder of the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, joins the chorus of people bothered by the Obama/Bush/McCain message for people to give to the Red Cross. (tags: philanthropy) This entry was written by admin and posted on September 4, 2008 at 10:47 am. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment. [...]

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