Why Nonprofits Should Be Political, Even If It’s Risky
Staying Neutral Helps No One but the Oppressor
Listen up! Nonprofits have always been political.
Feeding the hungry is political.
Housing the unhoused is political.
Demanding basic dignity for people the system discards? Political as hell.
So why do we pretend we’re not?
Why do we slap on vague mission statements, stay quiet during elections, and cower at the word “advocacy” like it’s a dirty word?
Because we’re scared?
Because funders might pull out?
Because someone on the board thinks being “nonpartisan” means being silent?
Here’s the truth: Silence is not safety. It’s complicity.
And neutrality? It’s just privilege with good PR.
The Nonprofit Sector Was Born From Resistance
Let’s not rewrite history. The very roots of nonprofit work come from radical resistance:
The Civil Rights Movement.
Mutual aid networks.
Underground railroad routes.
Feminist clinics.
LGBTQ+ crisis centers.
These weren’t “apolitical community groups.”
They were frontline fighters pushing back against a system that tried to erase them.
Nonprofits weren’t meant to be safe. They were meant to be disruptive.
If your work isn’t challenging systems, it’s not nonprofit work; it’s charity with a leash.
What’s “Too Political”? You Mean Effective?
You ever notice how the moment a nonprofit starts speaking directly about policy, oppression, or power someone clutches their pearls and yells, “You’re being political!”?
Translation:
“You’re making me uncomfortable by naming the truth.”
“You’re not staying in the box we built for you.”
“You’re not being quiet enough to keep our money flowing without guilt.”
But you know what’s really political?
Slashing public housing budgets.
Criminalizing poverty.
Banning books and whitewashing history.
Gunning down marginalized people and calling it justice.
Gutting healthcare and calling it reform.
If those things can happen out loud, in broad daylight, then you can raise your voice, too.
Nonprofits Have Power. Use It!
You may not be able to endorse a candidate. You may not be able to donate to campaigns.
But here’s what you can do:
Educate your community.
Challenge harmful policies.
Show up at city council meetings.
Hold elected officials accountable.
Mobilize voters and volunteers.
Call out systems that are killing your clients.
If your nonprofit helps people survive the system, you have every right to challenge the system.
You know what your clients don’t have time for?
Your brand strategy.
Your fear of bad press.
Your soft, polite statements that say nothing and risk less.
They’re being evicted, arrested, erased, and exploited, while you debate whether the newsletter is “too spicy.”
If You’re “Not Political”, You’re Just Patching Up a Broken Pipeline
The system is bleeding people out.
You can pass out all the bandages you want, but if you never ask why the wound keeps opening, then you’re just managing harm and not ending it.
Housing insecurity isn’t random. It’s legislative.
Food deserts don’t just appear. They’re the result of zoning and racism.
Lack of mental health care isn’t an accident. It’s systemic neglect.
You can’t fix what you won’t name.
And if you won’t name it, what are you even doing here?
Here’s What It Takes to Be Bold:
Education – Train your team and board on advocacy law. You can be political without violating 501(c)(3) status.
Courage – Speak even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially then.
Boundaries – If a donor threatens to leave because you told the truth, let them go. Your mission is not for sale.
Action – Don’t just talk the talk. Mobilize. Show up. Build coalitions. Challenge power. Be loud.
Final Word: This Isn’t About Politics; It’s About People
You can’t serve the marginalized and stay silent while they’re being legislated out of existence.
You can’t claim to be “for the people” and avoid speaking when those people are under attack.
You don’t get to opt out when the people you serve never had the privilege of opting in.
So yes, it’s risky. But you know what’s riskier?
A nonprofit sector that becomes so sanitized, so afraid, so spineless that it becomes irrelevant.
And Innovoreach?
We didn’t come here to play it safe.
We came to set a new standard.
