The nonprofit sector exists to serve the common good, yet it often operates at the mercy of political and economic forces beyond its control. Policies that weaken social safety nets, defund critical services, and undermine vulnerable communities are not just challenges — they are existential threats.
Right now, we are witnessing a coordinated effort to roll back the safety net, dismantle essential programs and shift resources away from the most vulnerable. These attacks on social infrastructure— from cuts to health care and food assistance to restrictions on nonprofit advocacy — demand a new level of organized resistance from the independent sector.
As a follow-up, and based on my experience as an activist for nonprofits and social justice, this playbook provides a practical, actionable, strategic framework to help nonprofit leaders move beyond advocacy into organized resistance and power-building. Inspired by Saul Alinsky’s organizing principles, it is a step-by-step guide to mobilizing stakeholders, pressuring decision-makers and ensuring the nonprofit sector becomes a formidable force for change.
Read the entire commentary on Substack In The Center Lane With Herb Paine →
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Commentator Herb Paine says King Charles III's address to Congress last month was remarkable as an example of civic intelligence and an exhortation to defend democracy. -
Commentator Herb Paine on the troubling revival of capital punishment in the United States and Israel. -
In the midst of all the current social and political disruption, commentator Herb Paine takes a step back and reflect on how we shifted from an age of aspirations to an era of polarization. -
Commentator Herb Paine documents the Trump administration’s continuing campaign on what he calls "a coordinated effort to narrow, sanitize and control the stories Americans encounter about their own culture and history" and offers an "inventory" of the damage already done — and the implications of allowing it to continue. -
Commentator Herb Paine examines a crucial but under-explored dimension of the current moment: How the Jewish community responds ethically when Jewish continuity intersects with political power in Israel.
