Tails from Philanthropy

Tails are so useful – for balance, locomotion, grasping, communication, attracting mates, swatting flies, defense, staying warm.

Humans do okay without tails, but grants without tails? Well, all those benefits of a tail that nonprofits need as much as animals, they disappear.

Instead of balance, things get wobbly (a kangaroo cannot do its kangaroo thing sans tail). A solid tail helps drive the mission forward, perhaps into the wings of another nonprofit – it buys time and funds the work to look attractive to possible mates who might take over care of the project or who might combine forces to keep it going. A peacock without tail feathers isn’t on any bird’s list for a merger or collaboration. A good tail blasts out a message, like a humpback’s tail flukes slapping the ocean. A tail allows nonprofits to tell the truth about what’s going on – sometimes in an unvarnished way that makes people uneasy, but that’s important to attend to (thanks for the heads up, rattler).

Just like in the animal kingdom, grant tails are not interludes or extra; they’re not petering out. A tail is a distinct thing, with very particular functions essential for survival of an animal or a mission.

Philanthropy’s failure to embrace tails is adding to the destabilization of the nonprofit sector. And there are many things (10 that I list! 7 of which aren’t even about more money necessarily!) that philanthropy can do, right now, to reverse this. Read more, and see some great pictures, in “Tails from Philanthropy.”