Episode 37 – Responsible Bravery: Nonprofits in a Time of Declining Democracy with Vu Le
Host: May Harris, Esq.
Guest: Vu Le
“I am not so sure that our sector has passed that [...] morality test here, because during the genocide, which is still ongoing, many of us did not speak up about it. We were afraid, and those who did speak up oftentimes got punished for it.”
- Vu Le
In This Episode
Learn the specific foundation funding strategies that make conservative movements succeed where progressive philanthropy fails.
Nonprofit leadership faces its greatest test as democracy in the United States is under attack, demanding sector-wide transformation. In this episode, May Harris welcomes Vu Le, rabble rousing nonprofit leader and creator of the Nonprofit AF blog, who argues that moderation has paralyzed nonprofits from taking necessary political advocacy stances. Vu dismantles the myth that organizations will lose their tax-exempt status for speaking up, revealing how fear-based assumptions prevent authentic action. He explains why progressive philanthropy falls short compared with conservative foundation funding strategies and calls for 20-year general operating funds rather than restrictive one-year grants. This episode challenges nonprofit-sector norms around Robert's Rules, competitive processes, and risk aversion, while offering hope through community-organizing and movement-building examples from Minnesota to Namibia.
Key Takeaways
Insightful moments and lessons from the conversation.
Conservative funders invest strategically with 20-year general operating funds, while progressive philanthropy hobbles its partners with one-year restricted grants. This foundation funding disparity explains why right-wing movements control cultural narratives, elect judicial appointees, and build lasting institutional funders while the left intellectualizes without action.
The fear of losing donor engagement or tax-exempt status prevents nonprofit advocacy, but checking these assumptions reveals the opposite: organizations supporting Black Lives Matter gained five new supporters for every donor lost. Working without 501(c)(3) status through mutual aid, religious organizations, or LLCs is a viable alternative.
Nonprofit sector transformation requires abandoning Robert's Rules and competitive grant processes in favor of generative governance models, such as minimally viable boards paired with robust community boards. Success demands that nonprofit leaders question every baked-in assumption, from five-day workweeks to single-CEO structures.
Guest Bio: Vu Le
Vu Le challenges nonprofit norms with joy and humor through his widely read blog NonprofitAF.com. With over two decades of sector experience, including 13 years as an executive director, he co-founded the Community-Centric Fundraising movement and authored "Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy." He won the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy's inaugural Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize for Philanthropy Criticism in 2024.
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