More than they can chew
I see that the Oregon Food Bank is alienating folks with its political pronouncements again. Last fall, they told us "folx" not to celebrate Thanksgiving because it's too "colonial." Now they're opining on the Israel-Hamas war, doing so in a way that's offending some Jewish people in town. And then doubling down on it.
One of the main jobs of the CEO of a nonprofit, if not the main job, is to raise money. Sometimes that means stifling the impulse to say things that may be true but are inconvenient and off-message. The food bank's Thanksgiving diatribe was a real turnoff for me. Now they'll lose some other donors over Bibi and Hamas. Do these political harangues attract new donations, from people who agree with them, to offset the money they chase away? I doubt it.
Whether you agree with their constant blathering about "colonialism" or not, don't you wish the food bank would stay out of politics and just hand out the Skippy? There are outfits in town that give food to the needy without the non-stop left-wing sloganeering. You just have to look around a little harder to find them.
It's a sign of the times, I guess. In such a divided country, such a divided world really, even the soup kitchens and food banks are taking sides. It's a shame. And it violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the federal law that says that tax-deductible nonprofits are supposed to stay out of politics.
Not another penny from me ever! for The Oregon Food Bank.
ReplyDeleteHow much would you say you've donated to them up until this moment?
DeleteI would hazard a guess it’s more than your net worth
DeleteIt’s another form of class warfare. Karl thought class warfare was a good idea. In this instance, it gets in the way of the primary mission to feed the unfortunate. I ignore the fools and get on with my life.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure some people were offended at the calls to boycott apartheid South Africa back in the day too.
ReplyDeleteApples and oranges
DeleteYou're correct they didn't flatten the landscape with bombs.
DeleteAnd South Africa wasn’t savagely attacked by an enemy that hides among the population and in miles of tunnels they built with billions in donated money that should have been used to care for the population
Deletehttps://www.cnn.com/2024/06/06/world/video/jerusalem-day-diamond-digvid-intl
DeleteI am also done with them. They don't stick to their agenda.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know about anyone else, but I look to the Oregon Food Bank as my main source to keep informed on current issues. If anyone has an opinion on things, no one can come close to them. I always await their voting guide come election time.
ReplyDeleteLook at their website and the staff. It’s woke activist central. Food distribution is a side business. They use the angelic mission and long-standing charity cred to do everything bagel leftism. They fundraise under false pretenses and should be prosecuted. It’s not a charity. It’s a PAC.
ReplyDeleteOf course it’s a PAC. The staff on the governing departments are on their side
DeleteAlways interesting to check out a non-profit's paid staff duties and compensation.
ReplyDeleteCompensation 2022
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Susannah Morgan (Ceo) $191,852 $24,711
Curtis Harris (Dir. Philanthropy) $133,206 $13,333
Jason Stephany (Dir. Communication) $123,012 $2,587
Starr Yurkewycz (Dir. Programs) $120,656 $23,555
Carrie Novak (Dir. Of Finance) $118,042 $3,502
Moira Bowman (Dir. Advocacy) $117,014 $13,077
Rut Martinez Alicea (Dir. Culture) $114,369 $10,052
Nothing more than a fucking outrage!
DeleteIf I’d have known 30 yrs ago that non-profits would eventually pay bigger bucks that private sector jobs, I’d have pursued that in a heartbeat.
DeleteAs it turns out, virtue signalling isn't just for politicians and social media influencers.
ReplyDeleteA local hunger assistance organization has absolutely no business sticking their nose into the politics of foreign war. He's not performing his duty as CEO in order to maximize both monetary donations, as well as food donations by choosing to trip over a political wedge issue.
Time to look for new leadership over there.
The CEO is a woman.
DeleteCorrecting the pronoun changes nothing about the sentiment or message.
DeleteThey started the shark jump when the current CEO started nearly 20 years ago. (Everyone thought she would use OFB as a stepping stone to a national organization.) She hated the Waterfront Blues Festival, and said it wasn't aligned with their mission. She had no idea how fundraising worked in Oregon (came from out of state), hired a bunch of high-pressure, highly paid solicitors, and burned through a lot of the reserves, and pushed out a lot of very good, long term staff, with at least several getting jobs at other non-profits where they continue to do good work. Personally, I find the Sunshine Division does great work, though the acab crowd may not.
ReplyDeleteThe Sunshine division does great work…mostly volunteers
DeleteIf the Sunshine group had a full time PR person they’d surpass the Oregon Food Bank in awareness.
DeleteOFB used to be one of the main charities we donated monetarily to, but after the Thanksgiving nonsense we stopped. Their current nonsense with the Middle East has further solidified my decision. While it wasn’t a huge amount, we did donate $25 a month since Covid hit in March of 2020. Now we have shifted that to much more local food pantries and the Sunshine Division. The OFB needs to stay out of politics and just focus on feeding people.
ReplyDeleteThey also spent time and resources submitting an amicus brief in support of tent camping in Johnson vs Grants Pass.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-175/306657/20240403153157627_23-175%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Oregon%20Food%20Bank%20et%20al..pdf.
Susannah Morgan made a truly noble charitable organization into her personal political megaphone and echo chamber. Why the Board doesn’t let her go is a mystery to many of us who’ve donated countless hours and thousands of dollars to OFB.
ReplyDelete