“We do not need any more nonprofits in Oregon,” Libra Forde wrote that recently in an op-ed for The Oregonian/OregonLive, calling it a “difficult truth.” She’s the executive director of Women’s Foundation of Oregon, a philanthropic organization which does grant-making, research and policy advocacy. We hear more from Forde on how nonprofits should move forward as federal funds shrink and how merging organizations could serve communities better.
Note: The following transcript was transcribed digitally and validated for accuracy, readability and formatting by an OPB volunteer.
Dave Miller: This is Think Out Loud on OPB. I’m Dave Miller. “We do not need any more nonprofits in Oregon.” Libra Forde wrote that recently in an op-ed in The Oregonian, calling it a “difficult truth.” That message might seem odd coming from her. After all, she is the executive director of a nonprofit herself, the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, which does grant-making, research and policy advocacy. Libra Forde joins us now. Welcome to Think Out Loud.
Libra Forde: Thank you for having me.
Miller: Why write this op-ed now?
Forde: I’m tired, like most nonprofit leaders. And I think it’s something that we all think, but we don’t say out loud.
Miller: That’s interesting. So, since you’ve written this, you’ve gotten people who’ve said to you, “oh, I’m glad you said this,” as opposed to, “how dare you?”
Forde: Oh, absolutely.
Miller: OK.
Forde: I think that it’s something that we’ve all wanted to say out loud. I think that it’s perfect timing for us to speak it out loud.
Miller: How much of this is purely a result of the Trump administration’s many cuts that have been affecting nonprofits all over the country, as opposed to structural issues that you see have been around for a while?
Forde: I think that it’s both. And I think that the current administration is just amplifying it. And I think that the current administration is making us all exhausted with the decreasing of funds. So you have people who have great passion, great desire for community, and people who are now exhausted, doing more with less.
Miller: I’m curious about your own experience here and how that plays into this, in addition to what you see, say, statewide. So where does your organization’s funding come from and where are you, in turn, putting that money?
Forde: We’re philanthropic, so our money comes from grassroots fundraising. And also, some local other partners of philanthropic groups give us funds to pass through to smaller organizations. So we don’t get any state funds or federal dollars. Unlike some of the organizations that we do see that do get that, we are seeing an influx of asks that we’ve never seen before.
Miller: But you’re getting money from folks who are probably, themselves, getting requests from all kinds of nonprofits to backfill federal losses.
Forde: Absolutely. There is not enough in the state to backfill the public need.
Miller: So what’s the answer?
Forde: I believe there’s three answers. One, we don’t need any more nonprofits. We all know that there are enough mission-filled nonprofits already and there’s enough mission-filled people doing the work. We need to come together and do this work well. We need to figure out how to partner well and be efficient with it, be powerful in our collective actions. As philanthropic partners and funders, we need to do that better. Because there’s a shortage of philanthropic partners, we need to make sure that we’re not overpowered by the number of nonprofits that need to do this work. The administrative cost of nonprofits needs to be decreased, and by partnering, we can do that better.
So the first thing that we’re doing is partnering with NAO, which is the Nonprofit Association of [Oregon], the association of nonprofits with Jim ... We’re working together to come up with workshops to talk about how we do mergers better in this climate. We’re also going to be doing round tables with funders to make sure we can do this work better. But most importantly, this weekend we’re bringing together nonprofit leaders to help them rest. Because when people are traumatized – because that’s what’s happening – you can’t think. And that’s the reason why we don’t need any more nonprofits.
Miller: I can also imagine … I mean, as you say, when you’re calling for organizations to merge missions where possible and consolidate administrative costs, that’s sort of corporate speak for saying jobs are going to be lost. The only way to save administrative money is if fewer people are doing those things or if you can reduce redundancies. Do you have a sense for how many nonprofit sector jobs are in jeopardy right now, or, maybe to even be more blunt, should be cut?
Forde: I don’t know how many should be cut because the work is important, right? So I don’t think the word “should” is appropriate in a sense. I know that there will be cuts, because federal grants pay for many of those people’s jobs. I think that the public sector will be compromised, which will also compromise the nonprofit sector. So I don’t know those numbers exactly, but the way to get in front of people losing their jobs, and then having more consequences that we will then pay for publicly, is to create answers. And make sure people have a plan.
So by consolidating organizations that do the same thing for the public, that’s the first answer. And it’s not just the answer for the folks that will lose a job, it’s the answer for the folks that get that help on the other side. The community members that know they need the help, they don’t really care that this is a problem. They need the help whether we continue as we are or we consolidate. So we need to get in front of it for all levels, the folks that need the jobs and the folks that need the help.
Miller: You wrote, “instead of asking how an organization can stay afloat, we should ask how missions can thrive,” which is a short version of what you just said. You also say that we should focus on impact over ego. How does ego enter into this?
Forde: Oh man, founders of nonprofits often forget why they started an organization over time. They get awards, they’re seen as these great heroes in their area, their communities, which is all well founded. And they forget why they’re there. They’re there for the people. And if you’re really there for the people and there’s eight more of you, then get together with those eight. Maybe one of you don’t lead it anymore and it’s OK, because the other 100 people that are benefiting from that work will still benefit because you all consolidate.
Miller: So you’re a grant maker, in addition to somebody who relies on philanthropy. I’m just curious how you use everything you’re saying as a lens yourself, when you’re deciding where to put your money?
Forde: Our organization has had this discussion with our board several times. Should we take all of our assets and give them away during this deep time of need or should we keep spending administrative dollars? Is this the time for us to stop?
Miller: You mean, should you take your own medicine and put yourself out of a job. Then say to the people who are funding you, you know what, give it to this other group because they’re doing similar stuff, and we think they’re more efficient or whatever.
Forde: That’s right. We have these conversations.
Miller: OK, what is that conversation like?
Forde: Oh, it’s tough, because many people care about what we’re doing. They care about me as an individual. They care about the other staff members, and I do too.
Miller: You care about yourself.
Forde: I care about myself. I care about my staff. But the reality is that if there are people in need right now and we have the resources that can create a solution, who are we to say we are more important than them? Who are we to say that? We should never put ourselves in front of the mission, ever. This is bigger than all of us.
Miller: How do you know that you’re doing that? I mean, how would any nonprofit decide? How should they decide that they are superfluous or that the world would be better if they merged?
Forde: If your operating dollars are more than your contributions to their community, you have a problem.
Miller: Yeah, that makes sense. I don’t know how you know that though.
Forde: Analyze over and over again. You know it in your gut. If you’re willing to trust your gut when you started it and that’s your why. Because most people that start nonprofits, it’s very much a heart thing.
Miller: They want to make the world better.
Forde: They want it.
Miller: And then you’re saying, sometimes something happens.
Forde: Something happens where they forget that core sense. And when they forget that, they lose sense of the many people around them who are trusting that they don’t forget that.
Miller: Libra Forde, thanks very much.
Forde: Absolutely.
Miller: Libra Forde is the executive director of Women’s Foundation of Oregon.
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