Food Policy, Money and Politics, Helping the Homeless and Garlic Wars: Recent Nonprofit Quarterly Articles

It’s been a really busy spring here at Write to Know, and I am lagging behind on blog posts. But very soon, I’ll be posting interviews with successful community groups I’ve been able to work with, and what they’re up to now. It’s inspiring!

In the meantime, I’ve been writing on a wide range of topics for Nonprofit Quarterly, from foreign policy to an ultra-local battle over ownership of a longstanding event: from how the wealthy may disproportionately influence politics, to a pragmatic grassroots project to help the homeless.  Links to those articles are below.

This week, I also write with a heavy heart as my hometown, Boston, deals with the aftermath of tragedy at the Boston Marathon. I once worked on Boylston Street, on the exact block where the bombs went off, so even from 3000 miles away in Oregon, I see its past surreal wholeness in my mind’s eye. The injuries from the bombings are so severe, and occurred at such a celebratory gathering, that it’s impossible to comprehend. Knowing that this type of tragedy– ordinary people killed and maimed for no reason– happens every day, all around the world, is even more sobering.  All the more reason to persevere in the work of our sector to build strong, resilient, compassionate communities.

The last link below is not something I’ve written. It’s from my colleague and friend at the Nonprofit Quarterly, Editor-in-Chief Ruth McCambridge. NPQ is based in Boston, just blocks from where the explosions occurred. In her article written in the raw hours right after the bombs, Ruth’s reflections are full of compassion, grief, and grace.

• Nonprofits decry ethics of food aid as a bargaining chip in North Korea– Out of frustration with “starvation as a foreign diplomacy tool”, five international aid nonprofits speak out about their failed efforts to deliver food aid to North Korea’s starving civilian population over the past two years.
• Who owns your event? A stinky cautionary tale– Don’t be so sure that an event you’ve managed for years is yours forevermore, nor that an event named for your community will stay put. In one small Oregon community, two competing groups are creating a stink over whose garlic festival is the real deal.
• Why is the U.S. budget deficit such a dominant political focus?A new study explores the implications of how the political attitudes of the wealthiest 1% align, or don’t, with those of average Americans. 
• Innovative token program connects homeless, businesses, and donors– In a creative twist on alternative currency, a Portland, Oregon nonprofit has organized a system through which homeless people can exchange donated tokens for goods and services of their choice at a variety of local businesses.
• Trying to make sense of what happened at the Boston Marathon– by Ruth McCambridge