On Our Own Terms- Martinez, Beatriz

The Revolution Will Not Be Funded focuses on the process that goes on in organizations. In the “On Our Own Terms,” section of the journal, the authors talk about the funding that goes on with the organizations and the terms. This in specific was what caught my attention since organizations want to separate themselves from companies in order to produce their own terms.

As the authors mention, some companies want to impose their terms into the organizations since they are the ones funding it, which may not always follow the organization’s values or goals. I believe organizations should follow their own terms since the audience is expecting that. Companies should not impose their terms unless it helps the organization because it will hurt the organization’s credibility. No one will want to support an organization whose goals do not match their actions. “Why are we building our memberships within structures based on the corporate non-profit model?” (Burrowes, N., C, M., R, P., U, I., ). This quote emphasizes how organizations are creating their reputation based on the terms companies impose just because they are being funded. I love how the authors include this question in the journal since a lot of organizations depend financially on companies. This calls out for those organizations to stop following structures they should not.

Moreover, the authors also mention how organizations are actually losing audience and time when they are funded by the wrong companies. “What percentage of our time was spent raising money and writing reports versus doing the work?” (Burrowes, N., C, M., R, P., U, I., ). Sometimes, in my opinion, it is better to work with what you have than trying to get more of what you have. To be more clear this quote is an example of that. Organizations are too focused at times in trying to get more funding, and thus they lose time to act with what they have. “We would return to being a volunteer collective and operate mainly through grassroots fundraising and the support of those who believed in our mission and work” (Burrowes, N., C, M., R, P., U, I., ). It is critical for the organization and for society that organizations do volunteer work and get fundraising for their audience directly. That way the work is done by the people and for the people.

For instance, I was part of the Human Rights Campaign and donated money. People are willing to help organizations financially if they actually follow their own terms. It is nice to see an organization grow due to your own actions. Of course it is hard for organizations to get volunteer work and fundraising, but at the end it creates a larger impact.

With that being said, how do you plan on supporting organizations that follow your own terms/values?