The Most Important Thing: Getting People What They Need - Together
Two of us recently had the opportunity to attend Cheers for Choice, a fundraiser for the Lovering Health Center here on the Seacoast. Even aside from the circumstances that preceded the event, it was an incredible celebration of choice, sexual health, and the community of people and organizations that are battling constant obstacles to keep reproductive rights at the forefront.
One of the most impressive parts of the night? The Lovering’s embrace of their partner organizations. Reproductive Equity Now and the Repro Fund were both in attendance, circulating with guests, talking about their work, handing out stickers and other swag. It may not sound like a big deal, but it challenges the pervasive culture in the nonprofit sector that teaches us to view other similar organizations as “competitors.” For example:
Funders host “vote for my nonprofit” challenges where the organization with the most votes from the community receives the grant.
“Days of giving” (like Giving Tuesday or NH Gives), while huge for galvanizing communities to donate, literally position nonprofits against each other for dollars and donors, with prizes for raising the most revenue or getting the most donors.
Less concrete is the idea that similar organizations are somehow “competition.” Whether it’s a fear of “losing” major donors to another mission or this concept that the pie is only so large, organizations often guard and hoard their donors.
There are some really important realities here. While some nonprofits might look alike on paper, they’re actually quite different most of the time. You might imagine that the three organizations above all do the same work. The reality is the Lovering provides reproductive care, Reproductive Equity Now advocates for protecting reproductive rights, and the Repro Fund funds abortion care. Together they form a vital ecosystem, each playing a slightly different but crucial role in ensuring the community gets what it needs.
I imagine that donors and volunteers at the Lovering care deeply about access to reproductive care. Talking to them about the ecosystem, yes, the other organizations they could support (gasp!), helps them better understand the issue. It also creates an opportunity for them to fortify that entire ecosystem, thereby doing what they can to ensure the thing they’re super passionate about continues to be available for those who need it. That’s a powerful way for a contributor to make a difference.
Shouldn’t that be how it always works? Instead of competing for attention and dollars for their individual missions, shouldn’t organizations do everything in their power, especially now, to collectively ensure that our people are taken care of? Shouldn’t we, as the excellent principals of Purpose Driven Leadership suggest, prioritize an organization’s purpose over the organization itself?
Maybe I’m simplifying, but maybe we also need to take a step back and realize it’s not about our egos, our singular missions, our boards, or even our donors, but it IS about doing everything we can in this moment to get people what they need to be okay. What else could be more important?