November 10, 2009 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Should a recent opinion article about how to “fix” the nonprofit world be applauded or trashed?
The Wall Street Journal article by Pablo Eisenberg, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership (and a frequent Chronicle contributor), has stirred up a range of reactions.
It has generated more than 50 comments on the newspaper’s Web site. The most contentious of Mr. Eisenberg’s suggestions is that foundations should be required by the government to give more money to charity each year (6 percent of their assets versus the current requirement of 5 percent) and that they should provide more support for “organizations serving the poor, people of color, women and children at risk, gays/lesbians, disabled and troubled youth.”
Some argued that these proposals would hurt donors and that the government should be involved in philanthropy as little as possible.
“Donors give to what they want to support. It is their right. If this doesn’t include your pet causes, you have no right to complain,” writes “Jonathan Katz” in a comment.
Others hail the ideas. “This article hits it on the head! Bravo for telling it like it is. There are too many private foundations that do not contribute to the real needs of contemporary American society,” writes “Michael Quirk” in a comment.
One view not reflected in the comments comes from Brian Reich. On his Fast Company blog he says he agrees with many of Mr. Eisenberg’s views but that the opinion writer’s “suggestions for how to fix the system didn’t go far enough.”
Mr. Reich, a technology and media expert, says the nonprofit world needs a “total reset” because the Internet has and will continue to alter how people interact.
“The game is different, the rules need to be re-written, and until the nonprofit and charitable community, and those who support and benefit from it, understands that everything has changed as a result of the impact of technology and the Internet, everything else is window dressing,” he writes.
What do you think of Mr. Eisenberg’s article and the reactions to it? Click on the comment button below to share your view.
