Crappy Funding Practices Proves, Once Again, Vu Lee Is Bad for Charity

Crappy Funding Practices Proves Vu Lee Is Bad for Charity is another expose of Vu Le, his millennial followers, and the confused Marxist ideology they indulge in at the expense of our sector.

Report Crappy Funding Practices, a LinkedIn initiative launched in 2024 by Vu Le and his followers, is one of the worst nonprofit practices I’ve ever encountered. As a donor and professional fundraiser for more than thirty years, and a member of a marginalized group, I’ve never come across such a ridiculous idea. If I sound offended, it’s because I am.

VISIT HERE to see what Report Crappy Funding Practices purports to espouse.

Let me say, according to Vu Le, I am a privileged member of the white power structure who is entrenched in traditional philanthropic thinking. I am not offended if I am called out for who I am. If you enter a relationship with me and get to know me, then you can judge me. My motives are the same as Vu Le’s for I too seek a more equitable society.

Redistribution of Wealth through Shaming Doesn’t Work

If you examine what Le has to say, you will realize that, to him, equity involves the forced redistribution of wealth. (Read here to learn about his failed community centric fundraising movement). He contends that the accumulation of wealth in this country is due to the practices of slavery, stolen Indigenous land, worker exploitation, environmental degradation, and tax avoidance. Because of this, people of wealth should be divested of it. One of the means he advocates to do so is to shame those institutional funders who he believes require too much from grant writers and other nonprofit professionals. He believes that giving away money with too many restrictions is an example of white privilege at work.

I agree that US history, in many ways, is a story of exploitation. Many people have been hurt. Their descendants have been affected. Those are facts. However, I do not believe they have much to do with the funder I sit across from today. I do not believe the sins of the past are necessarily the sins of the present. In fact, donors often give to correct the legacy of the past in hopes of a more just future. Because they put restrictions around their giving does not mean they are trying to retain a position of power. It means they want to support a nonprofit with the infrastructure necessary to meet a shared vision of a better community.

Fund-Seeker Power

I am offended by Le’s concept of the donor-applicant power relationship. Le’s theories do not ascribe to me the power I have as a fund seeker. I resent that. If I don’t like the conditions a particular entity places upon me, I don’t enter into the relationship. If an applicant does not want to live with specific restrictions, they can say no. Bless and release that donor. It’s not a good match. I’ve done it thousands of times during my career. No one is forcing me to do anything I don’t choose to do. If I don’t like what someone offers, I politely say no and move on.

The interaction usually doesn’t end there, though. I am often asked why I’m turning money down. I then explain the undue burdens their conditions place upon my organization and how that affects my ability to meet my mission. I don’t shame foundation officers or board members. I want them to listen to me, not become defensive. I get to know them, their needs and concerns, why their conditions exist, and how we might work together to remove obstacles on both sides. I don’t assume they will use their power against me.

It’s an effective approach. Most often, we work out a mutually favorable solution. It may take time, but it eventually comes to pass. At the very least, I have planted the seed for change for them to consider and discuss with their colleagues.

My Donors Are My Heroes

Le thinks it is okay to shame donors because they are not heroes. He sees people of wealth as the benefactors of ill-gotten gain. As such, it is their responsibility to correct the wrongs of the past through reparations and increased taxes. The fact they are not doing so makes them bad people, not heroes.

Again, Le misses the point. People are not bad because of what someone else did. If people are evil, it is because of what they do. Furthermore, in the US, we do not live in a society where everyone is of the same economic class, their needs being met through government-run programs—a description of communism. In theory, communism sounds equitable; in practice, it is not. Look at Cuba, Russia, or China. Everyone is poor except for the ruling class.

I believe my funders are my heroes. I believe my donors are responsible for their own behaviors, not others’. I believe they give to make a difference. They want to change the world and willingly divest their wealth to realize our mutual dream. To me this is heroic. It is heroic on my part because I have worked hard to define the cost of eliminating the community problem I am in business to eradicate and presented an achievable plan to do so. It is heroic on my donors’ part because they freely give of what they have. They don’t have to donate. They choose to do so. What good does alienating them do?

Eliminate Crappy Practices

Shaming only creates divides. What we need is to come together. Le understands the power of groups to change the world. As a profession, let’s stand up for those who fund us. If their conditions don’t work for you, move on. Don’t engage in a crappy practice just because it’s the newest thing. Be part of the solution. Don’t add to the pile that’s already there.

In closing, the online magazine Inside Philanthropy Magazine should be ashamed for having endorsed this childish initiative. Their promotion tells me all I need to know about how Inside Philanthropy views nonprofits.

I want to remind Vu Le’s followers that he is neither a philanthropist or a fundraiser and has only overseen failed nonprofit enterprise. Why? Because he doesn’t know how to build financial capacity.

Crappy Funding Practices Proves Vu Lee Is Bad for Charity was first posted at INSIDE CHARITY

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About the Author:

Joanne Oppelt is a member of the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives (NANOE), a faculty member at the National Development Institute, and a Major Gifts Ramp-Up counselor with Development Systems International. She has spent over thirty years in the nonprofit sector, helping nonprofits of all sizes. She has worked across multiple areas, including the arts, child welfare, disabilities, early childhood education, maternal and child health, mental health, public health, at-risk youth, and more. She has trained thousands of fundraisers and authored or co-authored more than twenty books on fundraising and nonprofit development. Joanne’s extensive background with a wide variety of 501(c)(3) organizations has given her a specialized insight into understanding the challenges nonprofits face internally and externally. Her years of working in the nonprofit sector have given her the gift of knowing exactly what it takes to run successful fundraising campaigns completed on time, under budget, and over goal. Joanne holds a B.A. in education from Bethany University and a master’s in health administration from Wilkes University. She is privileged to help charitable organizations significantly impact the world.