“Mission Over Money” (This Black-Ass Life)
Welcome to This Black-Ass Life! This week, we want to discuss mission-based organizations' public-private dynamic and their key phrases. We’re tired of building the plane while we’re flying it!
I. The Facts
Nonprofits and other “mission-based” organizations are prime environments to take advantage of workers’ desire to do good and exploit their labor. If you come across one of these phrases, fuckery is afoot:
“We’re mission over money:” Raise your hand up high if you’ve been told it’s about the mission, not the money?! My (Jumoke’s) first mission-driven salary was $31,000/year (lololololololol). Chicanery! Damn near close to being unhoused, and you want to rally for the cause. GTFOH.
“We’re building the plane as we’re flying it:” This one helps excuse the lack of structure for policies that protect workers or set clear expectations. At my (Mitu’s) first mission-based job, I was told I couldn’t ask for a raise because it would “upset the company ladder.” Y’all, I found out someone one step up from me (it was Jumoke - we met at that job!) was making $40,000 more. We’re not flying on unbuilt planes anymore!
“Assume best intent:” The insidiousness of asking people who have been harmed to assume the best intent of those actively doing the harming is staggering. What is the best intent behind constantly saying, “loving the hair!” What is the best intent of laying off everybody?
“[NAME] is a genius. A visionary! A thought leader:” [NAME] caught the right breaks and decided to consider mission-driven work when the consulting rainbow was not enuf. Leader worship is so weird and shouldn’t cost you a safe work environment.
“Work for a cause, not for applause:” This is old school nonprofit code for you’re not getting credit or money for this. Try listening to India Arie’s Private Party and celebrate yourself (but for free, because again, no more money).
“This is for the community, by the community:” Or, “for us, by us.” We understand the sentiment behind this, but it gives an out when one of “us” is on some fuckshit. In the words of Zora Neale Hurston, “All my skinfolk ain't my kinfolk.”
This also has “buying back the block” energy. You know, displacing the people who live on said block and replacing their homes with brunch spots with grass walls that sell salmon nuggets and cold eggs.
“It’s about the work:” OOF. The way we triggered ourselves saying this one out loud. This phrase was specially engineered to guilt workers out of asking for deserved recognition and compensation.
“Let’s deep dive, piggy-back, or parking lot:” All examples of exclusionary, jargon-y language to pause or divert conversations. Example: Worker: “We want to unionize.”... Management: “Hmmmm, let’s parking lot that.”
Special mention (jumpscare): “First they think you’re crazy, then they fight you, and then all of a sudden, you change the world.” She’s not a nonprofit founder, but she embodies the energy, and this video gets us every time.
Why does it matter?
We’ve written before about how “nonprofits =/= revolution,” and we want to take it a step further by discussing the human cost of engaging in mission-based work that asks you to put advocacy before your well-being.
It hurts when organizations that support people, especially people in vulnerable and oppressed communities, recreate those same conditions internally. Doing things like laying off union members, attempting to replace human caregivers with AI, mismanaging millions to stay at the top, harassing and bullying workers, fighting through emails, and laying off staff at a critical political juncture. And y’all already know these links barely represent a fraction of the harm being done in mission-based work.
These practices, no matter their intent, tell staff they need to put work before their lives, and they recreate the same systemic abuses most of these organizations claim to challenge.
What can my Black ass do?
Confront the fear around asking for better at work.
Start a union. Here’s how.
Don’t cross picket lines!
II. Other Things
Black-ass happenings
The Digital Public Library of America’s Banned Book Club is providing free ebook versions of banned books.
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, you will always be famous!
The story behind the song of the summer, “One Margarita.”
Alicia Keys shared an important lesson with her son.
Where were you when you first learned about the “lunch of suffering?”
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Mitu):
YouTube recently reminded me of the perfection that is the Ring The Alarm song and music video.
Things we look forward to:
I (Jumoke) look forward to more Summer goodness. I feel very aligned this season. It’s all peaches, late dinners, and movies over here (up next: TMNT).
I (Mitu) look forward to Beyoncé. I’ve avoided Renaissance Tour spoilers like it is my full-time job and now I finally get to enjoy her this weekend.
lll. Jeans for a Black-Ass Pawpaw
This is the crispest, starchiest pair of jeans. Gorgeous.
Stay Black, have a snack, and take a nap today. We'll hit your inbox next on August 15!