Reading for Leading Change-April 2025
We recommend these recent articles as you seek out new inspiration and innovative approaches to nonprofit leadership and social impact.
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
We highly recommend Professor Timothy Snyder’s concise and powerful book that analyzes historical examples of authoritarian regimes to learn how we can resist growing authoritarianism and protect democracy today. From history, we learn that tyranny does not happen all at once, rather it develops in small, incremental, often legal steps, and we must be vigilant and active to prevent it. The book’s lessons include to not obey in advance, defend institutions, investigate, and be as courageous as you can to preserve freedom and democracy when it is threatened.
Right-Wing Donors and Foundations Spent $1 Billion to Keep People From Voting Last Year
A new study documents the fortunes spent to suppress voting in the United States federal election in 2024. Notable is the lack of action taken by progressives to fight this suppression. This article in This American Prospect emphasizes that to “turn the tide and ensure people who want to vote can do so and can have their vote counted, democracy’s defenders must invest heavily and with unrestricted dollars in nonprofits that fight voter suppression, reach and engage low-propensity voters, and make real the promise of our democracy.”
How We Got Here: Six Reasons Liberal Philanthropy Is Losing the Battle for America’s Future
This article by David Callahan in Inside Philanthropy examines key mistakes funders have made and outlines a roadmap for philanthropy moving forward. Its recommendations for philanthropy include to recognize that the nonprofit sector is in a battle with existential stakes and to address economic inequality and material struggles concerning everyday Americans. It also suggests funding effective community-based nonprofit organizations that are led by the people they serve and investing in strengthening civic participation. When we engage rural and working class communities, the article says, we will “enlarge the coalition of Americans who support a just economy and multiracial democracy.” It also recommends fighting right-wing media dominance by supporting alternative media ecosystems and promoting a compelling “articulation of a broader vision of human flourishing and the good life that people can believe in.”
What have you read lately that helped you lead your organization? We’d love to hear about it.