Giving Compass' Take:
- In this episode of Tiny Spark, Vu Le explains that funders need to trust leaders in minority communities and step up to fund their work.
- Are you directly funding organizations led by people from the communities you hope to help?
- Read about equitable big bets for marginalized communities.
What is Giving Compass?
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Vu Le knows that his opinions can upset people working in philanthropy, nonprofits and fundraising. “We perpetuate the savior complex, the othering of people, poverty tourism,” says the NonProfit AF blogger and executive director of Rainier Valley Corps, a nonprofit in Seattle whose mission is to bring more leaders of color into the nonprofit sector. “I think that everyone means well [but] we really need to examine the issues that we’re trying to address.”
In this podcast, Le shares his wider concerns and frustrations around traditional grant-making and how those systems tend to disadvantage nonprofit leaders of color and the organizations they champion. He explains why a sense of humor is important when delivering tough truths. And as a nonprofit leader, he has a direct message for funders. “We’re not parasites and freeloaders. We are trying to solve some of the most complex entrenched issues that are out there,” he says. “Trust us to do our job, and do your job by bringing funding.”
Read the full article about stepping up for minority communities at Nonprofit Quarterly.