The last few months have allowed a deep dive into Detroit’s nonprofit landscape, with a special focus on many of the smaller nonprofits concentrated in the Detroit area. Lots of people are trying to do a lot of good – the result? A bit of a mixed bag.
Talking with coworkers and friends in the for-profit sector, I hear a lot of the same criticisms of nonprofits. Disorganization, lack of structure, lack of capacity, and overambition are all critiques that are brought up again and again, with many noting how a lot of nonprofits make large claims to fame that they simply cannot back up consistently. Till now, I’ve taken these criticisms with a grain of salt. People trying to do good, and, in most cases, succeeding, is a good thing, right? Even in limited capacity, you’d think that any efforts are good ones.
Yet, as I become more entrenched, or at least, semi-knowledgable, I’ve noticed that critics have a good point. For example, when I think about small business promotion and support in Detroit, I can name 5 different organizations all claiming to be doing the same work in the exact same areas. The result? An obvious oversaturation of services that ultimately drives potential customers away from taking advantage of free, legitimately beneficial resources.
What does organization, in a broad sense, look like? Never mind what it takes to get there. Let’s start with the vision.
- Self imposed, responsible limitations on the amount of nonprofits servicing a community in a given way. Community Centers that serve as an epicenter should be the primary fixture for relationship building and servicing, with resources and potential nonprofit partners working with those Centers to connect to the surrounding community.
- Cooperation and coalition between nonprofits: easy to say, difficult in practice.
- More discretion in grant funding: Probably the most controversial piece, but frankly, grant providers need to be a bit more judicial (I’d argue) in funding, as do the foundations supporting specific nonprofits. You’ve got a great idea, but what makes you unique?
Politics enshroud a lot of this sphere and the above thoughts are by no means original. But, again, if we are imagining a “new Detroit” that is inclusive and thinking about the needs of every resident, nonprofits working in this sphere are just as responsible as corporate ventures. Nonprofits aren’t immune from political criticism. In fact, they’re just as culpable if not more so on balancing self interest with the needs of those they seek to help – the same criticism often applied to larger for-profit entities trying to do work.