News for Summer 2007

[lovelyivy84]

He is absolutely 100% right.

Black Charities Should Be More Innovative, Former NAACP Leader Says

By Brennen Jensen

Arlington, Va.

Bruce Gordon, who resigned in February as leader of the NAACP, told a gathering of black nonprofit leaders and donors today that some black philanthropic efforts are “caught up in ruts and old habits” and said charity leaders need to “depart from the traditional and be willing to think about uncomfortable ideas.”

Speaking to the Sixth National Conference on Black Philanthropy, which opened here on Wednesday, Mr. Gordon acknowledged that as a former businessman he has a “bias towards the for-profit model” when it comes to how to develop and run organizations designed to grapple with the challenges facing black Americans.

In particular, he said charities could benefit by looking at how mergers have helped achieved efficiencies in corporate America.
Mr. Gordon, who stepped down after just 19 months on the job in a clash with the NAACP board, cited the NAACP and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund as two entities that “share the same brand” that might benefit from uniting.

He added that that black philanthropy should be driven by “process and performance, not personalities,” suggesting that too many organizations “circle around” specific notable individuals.

Of black America, he said it was the “best of times for some and the worst of times for many,” adding, “too many in the community are thinking like victims instead of acting like powerful people.”

His closed his speech by stating that the 2008 election represented a great opportunity for black nonprofit groups to “pump ideas and principles into the campaigns of the people who want our votes.”