Desperately missing from the article is the restrictions funders place on overhead, including wages. Non-profits are notorious for paying wages so low that many of their employees qualify for the services they provide. It is next to impossible to pay student loans for degrees often required by many positions. Funders need to expand funding for wages. There is no amount of wellness program services that can take away being stressed about making rent, paying for bills, wondering if healthcare is accessible, etc.
Great comment above, and I think it is worth adding that staff of grassroots organizations often face additional challenges: being from marginalized communities means they are already more likely to face financial stress (on top of that, many are volunteers), being more proximate to community issues makes the work more personal/emotionally draining, and they have a smaller % of the foundation funding pot available for grants to begin with. This is especially true for international grassroots / community-based organizations (CBOs) who may also face threats and backlash due to the political nature of their work. We have been trying to find funding to support a self-care and peer support group for women leaders in rural Ugandan CBOs, but it is difficult when most funders just want to support direct implementation of programs, especially internationally.
COMMENTS
BY Moira
ON May 29, 2020 07:18 AM
Desperately missing from the article is the restrictions funders place on overhead, including wages. Non-profits are notorious for paying wages so low that many of their employees qualify for the services they provide. It is next to impossible to pay student loans for degrees often required by many positions. Funders need to expand funding for wages. There is no amount of wellness program services that can take away being stressed about making rent, paying for bills, wondering if healthcare is accessible, etc.
BY Sarah
ON March 14, 2023 12:43 AM
Great comment above, and I think it is worth adding that staff of grassroots organizations often face additional challenges: being from marginalized communities means they are already more likely to face financial stress (on top of that, many are volunteers), being more proximate to community issues makes the work more personal/emotionally draining, and they have a smaller % of the foundation funding pot available for grants to begin with. This is especially true for international grassroots / community-based organizations (CBOs) who may also face threats and backlash due to the political nature of their work. We have been trying to find funding to support a self-care and peer support group for women leaders in rural Ugandan CBOs, but it is difficult when most funders just want to support direct implementation of programs, especially internationally.