I really admire your courage in sharing this—thank you! I’ve also been reflecting on my own experiences within the nonprofit industrial complex, and whew… “poor leadership excused by passion,” “it’s not burnout, it’s bad systems,” and “ignoring operational integrity” hit hard. I wish I could reply with a Nene Leakes gif right now! 😂
There’s such a need for stronger accountability systems that include staff voices. And honestly, there should be more thorough assessments of founders’ and EDs’ leadership and interpersonal skills before they start receiving major funding from philanthropic foundations.
I’m grateful I entered the nonprofit (youth development) space under a true leader and youth advocate—someone with a real track record of impact who created a radical work environment. So I know what’s possible when the right elements are in place, but sadly, they often aren’t. In the words of Lauryn Hill, it really “could all be so simple.”🎶🎶🎶
Hi, Alexis! Thank you so much for reading my work. I feel you on wishing you could respond with gifs! But I’m glad you can connect with the things I mentioned. It’s affirming to know that I’m not alone.
I agree that the lack of accountability for founders and EDs continues to cause harm. Too often, staff are left to absorb the fallout of poor leadership. We need systems that don’t just uplift visionary ideas but also evaluate how those visions are carried out in practice!
I’m glad you have had a positive experience entering the nonprofit space. I'm still waiting for that opportunity. I know it’s possible, but it’s been taking some time for sure. 🙃
Man, this hit so close to home it hurt lol. I’ve found myself working in non-profit spaces several times and asking, “where are the people truly doing the work?”. Thanks for lifting this up and also offering a solution
Thank you so much for reading, Nicholas! It’s been affirming (and disappointing) that many others resonate with these issues. But at least I know now that it’s not all in my head or a “me” problem.
As a fellow nonprofit vet I can attest to just how sadly accurate everything you wrote is and how common it is! At every nonprofit that I’ve worked at I’ve had to introduce systems and processes that better account for teams being overburdened and dealing with competing deadlines.
Literally same! From a comms perspective, different teams were doing whatever. There was no infrastructure for anything. I had to build internal and external comms processes from the ground up.
THIS!! I'd "heart" this a million times if I could. When there's bad management, the whole organization suffers. Leadership without accountability, transparency, or care will harm those at the bottom.
Your article powerfully calls out the dysfunction in nonprofits, but here’s a twist: what if that dysfunction isn’t just a failure of leadership, but a reflection of how society structurally sets nonprofits up to fail? These organizations are tasked with solving massive social problems—racism, poverty, injustice—yet they’re starved of funding for internal infrastructure, pressured to produce endless outputs, and expected to do it all under the guise of passion. Maybe what we’re seeing isn’t a betrayal of mission, but the inevitable result of asking people to build liberatory futures with broken tools and no blueprint.
That’s why Miranda’s systems approach is so crucial, but reform can’t stop at internal workflows. Funders and philanthropic institutions must change too. Until we invest in the human systems behind the missions—culture, care, pace, and rest—we’ll keep burning out the people trying to save the world. Justice work can’t thrive in exploitative conditions, and transformation won’t come from performance—it comes from integrity, inside and out.
Monte, you always offer the most insightful comments and give other angles I hadn’t considered. Thank you!
You’re absolutely right. These organizations are being asked to solve generational injustices with little to no resources, making issues of dysfunction and feeling burnt out almost inevitable.
What struck me most about what you said is asking people to build liberatory futures with no blueprint. That’s a valid and necessary point to consider. And as you pointed out, Miranda’s framework offers a way to begin repairing what’s broken internally, but it can’t stop there. Funders, donors, and philanthropic institutions have to resource building better systems.
Justice work can’t thrive in extractive, toxic environments. It just can’t. It requires systems of support that are just as radical as the futures we’re trying to build. Thank you again for adding this very important comment to the conversation!
I really admire your courage in sharing this—thank you! I’ve also been reflecting on my own experiences within the nonprofit industrial complex, and whew… “poor leadership excused by passion,” “it’s not burnout, it’s bad systems,” and “ignoring operational integrity” hit hard. I wish I could reply with a Nene Leakes gif right now! 😂
There’s such a need for stronger accountability systems that include staff voices. And honestly, there should be more thorough assessments of founders’ and EDs’ leadership and interpersonal skills before they start receiving major funding from philanthropic foundations.
I’m grateful I entered the nonprofit (youth development) space under a true leader and youth advocate—someone with a real track record of impact who created a radical work environment. So I know what’s possible when the right elements are in place, but sadly, they often aren’t. In the words of Lauryn Hill, it really “could all be so simple.”🎶🎶🎶
Hi, Alexis! Thank you so much for reading my work. I feel you on wishing you could respond with gifs! But I’m glad you can connect with the things I mentioned. It’s affirming to know that I’m not alone.
I agree that the lack of accountability for founders and EDs continues to cause harm. Too often, staff are left to absorb the fallout of poor leadership. We need systems that don’t just uplift visionary ideas but also evaluate how those visions are carried out in practice!
I’m glad you have had a positive experience entering the nonprofit space. I'm still waiting for that opportunity. I know it’s possible, but it’s been taking some time for sure. 🙃
Man, this hit so close to home it hurt lol. I’ve found myself working in non-profit spaces several times and asking, “where are the people truly doing the work?”. Thanks for lifting this up and also offering a solution
Thank you so much for reading, Nicholas! It’s been affirming (and disappointing) that many others resonate with these issues. But at least I know now that it’s not all in my head or a “me” problem.
As a fellow nonprofit vet I can attest to just how sadly accurate everything you wrote is and how common it is! At every nonprofit that I’ve worked at I’ve had to introduce systems and processes that better account for teams being overburdened and dealing with competing deadlines.
Literally same! From a comms perspective, different teams were doing whatever. There was no infrastructure for anything. I had to build internal and external comms processes from the ground up.
Exactly! Crazy times but my teams did appreciate the structure that I brought.
For sure. That's what I'm here for! I love helping orgs get right lol
A lot of places hire Managers not leaders. Sometimes it’s not the company itself but the “Management” itself that’s the problem
THIS!! I'd "heart" this a million times if I could. When there's bad management, the whole organization suffers. Leadership without accountability, transparency, or care will harm those at the bottom.
Your article powerfully calls out the dysfunction in nonprofits, but here’s a twist: what if that dysfunction isn’t just a failure of leadership, but a reflection of how society structurally sets nonprofits up to fail? These organizations are tasked with solving massive social problems—racism, poverty, injustice—yet they’re starved of funding for internal infrastructure, pressured to produce endless outputs, and expected to do it all under the guise of passion. Maybe what we’re seeing isn’t a betrayal of mission, but the inevitable result of asking people to build liberatory futures with broken tools and no blueprint.
That’s why Miranda’s systems approach is so crucial, but reform can’t stop at internal workflows. Funders and philanthropic institutions must change too. Until we invest in the human systems behind the missions—culture, care, pace, and rest—we’ll keep burning out the people trying to save the world. Justice work can’t thrive in exploitative conditions, and transformation won’t come from performance—it comes from integrity, inside and out.
Monte, you always offer the most insightful comments and give other angles I hadn’t considered. Thank you!
You’re absolutely right. These organizations are being asked to solve generational injustices with little to no resources, making issues of dysfunction and feeling burnt out almost inevitable.
What struck me most about what you said is asking people to build liberatory futures with no blueprint. That’s a valid and necessary point to consider. And as you pointed out, Miranda’s framework offers a way to begin repairing what’s broken internally, but it can’t stop there. Funders, donors, and philanthropic institutions have to resource building better systems.
Justice work can’t thrive in extractive, toxic environments. It just can’t. It requires systems of support that are just as radical as the futures we’re trying to build. Thank you again for adding this very important comment to the conversation!