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43rd out of 415 books
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238 voters
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The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex
A $1.3 trillion industry, the US nonprofit sector is the world’s seventh largest economy. From art museums and university hospitals to think tanks and church charities, over 1.5 million organizations of staggering diversity share the tax-exempt 501(c)(3) designation, if little else. Many social justice organizations have joined this world, often blunting political goals to...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
March 1st 2009
by South End Press
(first published March 1st 2007)
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Wow. I love books that completely change my way of looking at the world. This is the kind of book that you can't help bringing up in conversations for months after it's over.
This is great for anyone who is working for social change, and is still trying to figure out the best way to do that. Basically, this anthology discusses the ways in which the non-profit industry may actually be limiting our capacity to create real revolutionary change in the U.S. and abroad. Although non-pro...more
This is great for anyone who is working for social change, and is still trying to figure out the best way to do that. Basically, this anthology discusses the ways in which the non-profit industry may actually be limiting our capacity to create real revolutionary change in the U.S. and abroad. Although non-pro...more
I found this book really validating to read. Having worked in social services for the last couple of years I was really starting to feel like their was something wrong with the way things were being done, and I was constantly frustrated with the lack of accountability that the agency I work for has for its constituents.
Before having read this book I was planning on going to graduate school and getting an MSW even though I knew I didn't want to be a social service or state social work...more
Before having read this book I was planning on going to graduate school and getting an MSW even though I knew I didn't want to be a social service or state social work...more
Jessica
added it
Recommends it for:
maybe people who haven't already thought of this stuff
Shelves:
social-work-or-relevant
At times I start getting really, really burnt out on radical leftist complaining. This is one of those times, probably because I've read too much of it recently for school.
I don't know. So far this book reminds me of that great cartoon from years ago of the artist who's painted a picture of a guy in glasses and a suit and underneath it the letters "FUCKING ASSHO" only apparently the artist has just run out of paint, because he's turning to the guy standing next to him -- th...more
I don't know. So far this book reminds me of that great cartoon from years ago of the artist who's painted a picture of a guy in glasses and a suit and underneath it the letters "FUCKING ASSHO" only apparently the artist has just run out of paint, because he's turning to the guy standing next to him -- th...more
Finally found a copy of this over the weekend. Have wanted to read it for a while - to the extent that I've been citing the title. So damn catchy.
P.45 "What also distinguishes the expansion of social-service agencies is that increasingly their role is to take responsibility for persons who are in the throes of abandonment.."
P.46 " the shadow state, then, is real but without specific political clout, forbidden by law to advocate for systemic change, and bound by ...more
P.45 "What also distinguishes the expansion of social-service agencies is that increasingly their role is to take responsibility for persons who are in the throes of abandonment.."
P.46 " the shadow state, then, is real but without specific political clout, forbidden by law to advocate for systemic change, and bound by ...more
This book was hard to take at times, and at others it was inspiring and insightful. Many different voices and experiences reflecting on the change and development in the world of non-profits, and the overwhelming chorus wasn't necessarily one I wanted to hear: currently there is little place for sustainable, innovative social activism within the non-profit community as it stands, due to the reluctance of funders to endorse "radical" agendas. This is a light-weight summation of some he...more
"Nonprofits were meant to provide alternative spaces for political organizing. But for generations who have known only the NPIC as a site of organizing, it’s not a place to put their politics to practice: it is their politics. Those wondering about how to organize in what Gilmore calls “the shadow of the shadow state” can only ask themselves: “Should I stay or should I go?”" Read more of my review here:
http://www.yasminnair.net/content/revolu...
http://www.yasminnair.net/content/revolu...
The first few articles in this book were SO jargony. Like this:
"I am especially concerned with how the political assimilation of the non-profit sector into the progressive dreams of a "democratic" global civil society (the broad premise of the liberal-progressive antiglobalization movement) already presumes (and therefore fortifies) existing structures of social liquidation, including biological and social death." (p. 22)
Um, what?
The articles di...more
"I am especially concerned with how the political assimilation of the non-profit sector into the progressive dreams of a "democratic" global civil society (the broad premise of the liberal-progressive antiglobalization movement) already presumes (and therefore fortifies) existing structures of social liquidation, including biological and social death." (p. 22)
Um, what?
The articles di...more
I just finished the introduction (by Andrea Smith) and was amazed. Granted, going into the book, I was unfamiliar with the history of the nonprofit system. But whoa! Smith weaves INCITE!'s journey for funding with the history of the nonprofit system. She documents the history of corporations/foundations to explicitly control social change movements. It's accomplished by (a) funneling activists from community organizing to a career model of social service (magnified problem see Social Servic...more
It's mad helpful to have such richly articulated ideas in print, plus good best practice case studies written by the organizers instead of academics alone. An article that I particularly enjoyed was Ana Clarissa Rojas Durazo's "We Were Never Meant to Survive," which drew parallels to the Zapatista mvmt.
A selection of things I'm chewing on-
"Many Americans are seduced by the idea that piecemeal voluntary efforts can somehow replace a systematic public approach t...more
A selection of things I'm chewing on-
"Many Americans are seduced by the idea that piecemeal voluntary efforts can somehow replace a systematic public approach t...more
Excellent excellent book. Before reading this, I'd never really known what Foundations were or what they did most of the time. Now I do.. turns out most of them are up to no good!
As someone who has been wanting to work for non-profits for a while and lately wanting to start my own non-profits, this book has been a very important eye-opener for what it means to have different funding sources and organizational structures - what it means to the work you're trying to accomplish. If I ev...more
As someone who has been wanting to work for non-profits for a while and lately wanting to start my own non-profits, this book has been a very important eye-opener for what it means to have different funding sources and organizational structures - what it means to the work you're trying to accomplish. If I ev...more
A book I did not realize was so impactful, but this text is pretty well known among the non-profit types. As a new non-profit worker, I am challenged by the text's premise: how the heirarchization and corporatization of the non-profit sector may undermine the radical social transformation it is predicated upon. I am not sure all non-profits are dedicated to this violent social revolutionary agenda, however, and wonder about "moderate" non-profits that want to work with a broad spectr...more
Millicent
rated it
Recommends it for:
those trying to support themselves and dismantle the system
Shelves:
anarchism-and-activism
How do we know if we are being co-opted into contributing to a ruling-class agenda and just providing social service, or if we are truly helping people get together? We cannot know ourselves. We cannot know just from some people telling us that we are doing a good job or even telling us that we are making a difference. We cannot know by whether we feel good about what we do. Popularity, status, good feeling, positive feedback-- our institutions and communities provide these to many people eng...more
This book is great! It is a collection of essays and some of them are fabulous. My favorite was an essay by Paul Kivel called "Social Service or Social Change?" which you can read online here:
http://paulkivel.com/articles/socialserv...
There is also a really exciting essay by Alisa Bierra of Seattle's own Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA) called "Pursuing a Radical Antiviolence Agenda Inside/Outside a Non-Profit Structure" that advocates a peer b...more
http://paulkivel.com/articles/socialserv...
There is also a really exciting essay by Alisa Bierra of Seattle's own Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA) called "Pursuing a Radical Antiviolence Agenda Inside/Outside a Non-Profit Structure" that advocates a peer b...more
This anthology discusses the problems with 501(c)3 nonprofits and the reliance on foundation money. Can groups that rely on capitalist loot for their funding ever truly challenge the system?
The first time I read The Revolution Will Not Be Funded, I was working within the 501(c)3 system, and this book helped me find words for the frustration I was feeling (such as having to make projects more palatable to donors by including pictures of starving - but cute - children), and understanding wh...more
The first time I read The Revolution Will Not Be Funded, I was working within the 501(c)3 system, and this book helped me find words for the frustration I was feeling (such as having to make projects more palatable to donors by including pictures of starving - but cute - children), and understanding wh...more
This is a skinny book, but each article is alot to think about.
I've been excited about the discussions that incite! is raising around the idea of the non-profit industrial complex. every social change organization that i've been involved with has had pain and conflict and compromises and inability to surface conflict around money/funding issues. so i think i place alot of unfair expectations on this book--i want answers. i want to be effective & take care of relationships & survive in...more
I've been excited about the discussions that incite! is raising around the idea of the non-profit industrial complex. every social change organization that i've been involved with has had pain and conflict and compromises and inability to surface conflict around money/funding issues. so i think i place alot of unfair expectations on this book--i want answers. i want to be effective & take care of relationships & survive in...more
Rukshana
rated it
Recommends it for:
activists, organizers, academics, non profit workers, social service providers
I've read almost all of the entries in this anthology so I am declaring it read! I would like to revisit this book again to finish the unread pieces.
This book is excellent. A definite must read for anyone who works in or supports the nonprofit industrial complex, and especially those who see nonprofits as a solution to the destruction caused by global capitalism (a viewpoint that the book dismantles!).
The book includes a real diversity of voices on this topic and examin...more
This book is excellent. A definite must read for anyone who works in or supports the nonprofit industrial complex, and especially those who see nonprofits as a solution to the destruction caused by global capitalism (a viewpoint that the book dismantles!).
The book includes a real diversity of voices on this topic and examin...more
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This is a pretty wonderful collection of essays, put together by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, covering the rise of the Non-Profit Industrial Complex and it's vampiric and co-opting effects on radical movements for social change. Some of the essays are more compelling than others, but I particularly found the historical background of the NPIC undercutting and distorting radical movements of the last 25 years revelatory. Plus the case-studies of groups that went for the 501(c)3 tax st...more
Conceptually i was really into this book. after the first couple of essays, it really started to repeat itself, which given the nature of some essay type books, i had trouble getting the motivation to pick it up and move on. i really gained from the personal stories of struggles that lead people to understand how the non-profit industrial complex works, and how their organizations either succeeded or failed based on how they reacted. Although i agree wholeheartedly with the thesis of this boo...more
These essays collectively blew my mind and provided a whole new lens through which to view the nonprofit sector (and the foundations who feed it), particularly those organizations working for social justice. Some essays were insightful and filled with factual evidence, understanding, compassion, and wonderful anecdotes. Other essays were heavy-handed, one-sided (and thus simplistic), seemingly inaccessible to people without an academic understanding of systems (you know, like the constant droppi...more
My review from thinkgirl.net:
This radical and visionary anthology explores the proliferation of the nonprofit organization model in the United States, and its implications for social justice movements. The writers rightfully emphasize that this model, in which organizations are accountable to generally wealthy, white persons’ foundations, monitors, stifles, and professionalizes activism at the expense of movements. The book argues that movements must remain accountable to low-income ...more
This radical and visionary anthology explores the proliferation of the nonprofit organization model in the United States, and its implications for social justice movements. The writers rightfully emphasize that this model, in which organizations are accountable to generally wealthy, white persons’ foundations, monitors, stifles, and professionalizes activism at the expense of movements. The book argues that movements must remain accountable to low-income ...more
Just started this baby after crossed paths with a professor at UIC who recommended it. My copy just arrived in the mail two weeks ago. Its about how liberal Goo Goos don't fund non profits organizations and programs that might actually empower people to radically change the system. I was talking about this and she asked if I had heard of this book. The rest is history. So far after the first chapter,
I'm blown away!
UPDATE UPON FINSHING
O.K. I finished this yesterd...more
I'm blown away!
UPDATE UPON FINSHING
O.K. I finished this yesterd...more
A must-read for a generation of young people going into or considering nonprofit work. This is a great compilation of essays defining and exploring how nonprofits and foundations co-opt and dominate struggles and make them complicit with capitalism and the state. As disenchanted as I already was with nonprofits, I could take a lot from this book.
I'm finding this so refreshing, read it at the perfect time. Really clarified for me how the non-profit structure misdirects social movements.
However, it's totally US-centered and some of the essays in the first half feel really repetitive. Also, I'd like more on what grassroots fundraising can actually look like- I'm sorry, but house parties don't cut it. Because while folks like me shouldn't be paid to organize, sometimes we do need to pay people for their labor so that they can ...more
However, it's totally US-centered and some of the essays in the first half feel really repetitive. Also, I'd like more on what grassroots fundraising can actually look like- I'm sorry, but house parties don't cut it. Because while folks like me shouldn't be paid to organize, sometimes we do need to pay people for their labor so that they can ...more
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding an "alternative" perspective to non-profits. It is engaging and really makes you critically think about everything you have ever been "taught" about the "purpose" of non-profit organizations.
back in the day activists didn't get paid. Now they do. In fact, if you think about it, people actually go to college to become paid activists. I even remember students in political science classes I took in college talking about how they wanted to get jobs with non-profits. But how do non-profits work to support the system? And how can you destroy capitalism when you spend all of your fucking time writing grants to get money from that very system you hate so much? Well, you can't. Sure, ...more
Everyone who works for a nonprofit or for any kind of social change org needs to read this. It reflects so many of my experiences and frustrations. And it puts the system together in a way that we all need to be conscious of.
This book is at times overwhelming. Incredibly well written and well thought out. Anyone who works in the nonprofit sector and belives it is a way to engage in social change should read this, and any radical organizers workiong outside of the sector should as well. The best thing I got from reading these essays was a clear understanding of how the nonprofit sector is directly tied to global capitalism, systems of power and wealth, and the prison industrial complex. I am still a proponent of ...more
often excellent, but many of the essays were very specific to the US legal context which is a bit of a bummer for folks not from there.
Validating if you work in the non-profit/foundation sector. Long on criticism, short on solutions but still an important read.
Toby
is currently reading it
Foundations are not accountable to communities and are not invested in fundamental change. Things I learned from my Dad.
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Mission Statement
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence is a national activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and their communities through direct action, critical dialogue and grassroots organizing.
Vision Statement
INCITE! is a national, activist organization of radical feminists of color t...more
More about Incite! Women of Color Against Violence...
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence is a national activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and their communities through direct action, critical dialogue and grassroots organizing.
Vision Statement
INCITE! is a national, activist organization of radical feminists of color t...more
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