The donor is….canceled?
Our culture is shifting. Word, phrases, and actions that were generally accepted a generation ago have now been re-examined and acknowledged as racist or sexist or homophobic, etc. Cue most comedic sitcoms from the 1980s and there will be cringe-worthy scenes. It is a positive change that we are learning how our words and actions affect others. As an unforeseen consequence over the last few years, we have also seen a number of employees in high profile positions fired as a result of statements made 10, 20, and 30 years ago. This cancel culture has become widespread across various sectors. I am concerned when it reaches the donors to the nonprofit sector as a binary choice of canceled or not-canceled. To be clear, when a Board member - who is also a donor - is making racist or sexist comments publicly, they are an ambassador of the nonprofit. The leadership of the nonprofit, the Board and Executive Director, has to confront, request a public apology, and, depending on the reaction, require a resignation. An ambassador cannot be allowed to undermine the mission of the organization. Back to the donor. If a donor is making racist, sexist or offensive comments publicly, should the…