Nonprofit Unicorn Spotted!

Vu Le has become a personal hero to many in nonprofits and is known for challenging our industry to think beyond the status quo. Last week, we had the privilege of seeing him IRL (in real life) thanks to the Goodman Community Center with support from the Madison Community Foundation. Goodman brought Le to Madison to give a keynote on the "Evolving Role of Donors" as part of their "Love and Legacy" campaign celebrating Goodman's 70th. 

One of his calls to action was to move from empathy to justice as the grounding force for philanthropy. Another was to reflect on the origins of wealth and the unjust systems we're complicit in upholding. He offered fresh insights into many of the fundraising practices we do on autopilot, challenging fundraisers to embrace our agency and align our actions for change. To top it off, he wielded his wit in classic style with a food metaphor that is distinctly Wisconsin: the vegan cheese curd. He likened the nonprofit sector to it, saying we're a little crusty, a little salty, with a nice gooey center. 

To learn more about Vu's thought leadership on how we can work together to avoid undue harm rather than perpetuate it, follow his blog, Nonprofit AF, and join the movement for Community Centric Fundraising. 

You can learn more about Goodman's Love & Legacy campaign here.