By Andy Carroll, Exponent Philanthropy

I regularly explore trends influencing philanthropy by spotlighting articles, reports, and essays in the media. I cast a wide net, venturing beyond philanthropy and traditional topics to consider a variety of ideas, innovations, debates, and critiques. Read previous posts in the series   

Working Americans Struggle to Earn a Living

Recent articles spotlight continuing economic hardship faced by millions of working Americans, including nonprofit employees, and the forces responsible. Key trends include the high cost of housing and health care, low wages, and lack of income growth in recent decades. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, median income for working-age households (headed by someone under age 65) slid 12.4% from 2000 to 2011, to $55,640.

I highlight two articles:

• The San Francisco Chronicle profiles the impact on nonprofits of steep increases in the city’s real estate costs, which makes rents difficult to afford for employees and their organizations. The squeeze has fueled demonstrations by nonprofits and their supporters at City Hall and City Council meetings. Protesters point out that the mayor’s proposed increase in allocations for nonprofits is less than the increase for city workers, and call upon the city, which relies on nonprofits to deliver crucial human services, to increase its allocations. Journalist Marisa Lagos writes, “…nonprofits and their workers have seen little increase in the amount of money they get from the city—just 5% since 2007. From 2007 to 2012, there were no increases, and many have had to cut staff or services to stay solvent.” One nonprofit that offers housing, counseling, and other services to people with chronic mental health problems has seen rent hikes as high as 135% at some of its buildings.

• The New York Times highlights a newer challenge for American workers–businesses’ use of computer scheduling models to increase staffing efficiency and reduce labor costs. The computer models disrupt regular work schedules, making it more difficult for parents to align work with their children’s daycare and school schedules. Journalist Jodi Kantor follows Jannette Navarro, a single mother in San Diego who struggles to support herself and her 4-year son on a $9-an-hour job. Ms. Navarro’s work schedule is cut into continually changing, irregular slices, forcing her to improvise her son’s daily care, and preventing her progress toward an associate degree in business. Writes Kantor, “Like increasing numbers of low-income mothers and fathers, Ms. Navarro is at the center of a new collision that pits sophisticated workplace technology against some fundamental requirements of parenting, with particularly harsh consequences for poor single mothers.”

A Nonprofit Shares Its Data and Improves Its Field

Continual innovation in technology offers new opportunities for funders and nonprofits to use data to make smart decisions. As thought leaders like Lucy Bernholz have pointed out, one promising use of data is for nonprofits and foundations to share their evaluation and research data publicly to increase effectiveness for all.

Continue reading →