Why do we need another non-profit?
There are many non-profits that are focused on particular issues, whether it’s cancer, or homeless veterans, or plastics in the oceans. These non-profits, while serving worthy causes and even making an impact, do not ultimately transform society in ways that fight the root causes of the maladies they were set up to stop.
The limitations of most non-profits can be categorized as either funding or power limitations:
- Funding limitations in that either they are set up to collect money from those who have the least money to donate: The working poor, middle class people with families to support, and cash strapped small businesses. Or they are set up to collect money from large businesses or even governments, which do have the needed money but usually don’t have a permanent, genuine interest in providing funding to actually solve the problems. This lack of alignment of available resources with interest in solving such problems is actually a byproduct of our economic system and cannot simply be powered through or wished away. [See Principle 1]
- Power limitations in that they focus on electing certain politicians, passing certain legislation, or getting certain regulations created which are completely against the economic interests of those who hold most power in our economic system. And as long as we have this current system, those economic interests will hold sway over this entire political system. Small victories may occur, but at the expense of other small victories and only in the short-term.
System Change
In order for a non-profit to truly and permanently solve problems (which absolutely should be the goal and why not?) it needs to directly address the vested interests inherent in our economic system. We cannot solve all our problems and still have this economic system. In order to solve all of the problems, we need to move to a new one.
But neither is it possible to move to a new economic system without showing the way that such a system could work and inviting people to see the possibilities in a practical way.
