This month, the Portland branch of progressive fundraising organization Fund for the Public Interest officially fired the last remaining member of an initial union bargaining team that has been trying to obtain better working conditions for its canvassers.
The Fund for the Public Interest is a giant canvassing organization—in 2010 (the most current year for which tax returns are available), they employed 10,500 people nationwide to knock on doors and make calls, raising $26.5 million. In the article published last week, I noted that one of the groups contracting with the Fund is the Sierra Club. But Oregon Sierra Club Director Brian Pasko called this week to tell me that in 2011, the environmental group actually ended its contract with the Fund and its canvassing efforts.
Pasko says Sierra Club ended its relationship with the Fund (also called Public Interest Research Group, or the PIRGs) in part because of concerns about their operations.
“I had a number of concerns with the PIRGs, mainly with the way they were running their canvass and how they were communicating with us,” says Pasko. He had received complaints from members about canvassers, including “pseudo-trespass type issues” and people knocking doors after dark. Canvassing was always more of an outreach effort for the Sierra Club than a tool for gaining memberships, so both the Oregon chapter and the national Sierra Club decided last year to switch to other outreach mechanisms.
In addition to the complaints and concerns about the PIRG, the Sierra Club found more creative ways to raise money than knocking doors. Now, the Oregon chapter is partnering with home weatherization and solar installation companies—their members get discounts on making their home more energy efficient and, in exchange, the companies give a donation to the Sierra Club. This raises about $10,000 a year for the nonprofit, says Pasko, in a way that supports local businesses and helps Oregonians be more environmentally friendly.
As the Fund continues to take heat for its labor practices, I wonder if other nonprofits will take a cue from the Sierra Club.
Regarding the $26.5 million dollars, was that net profits, or revenue?
@fidelity – that’s revenue. The Fund’s profits (after salaries and expenses) for 2010 were $2.3 million.
How can a nonprofit have profits? They must be reinvesting them somehow. More details, please.
$26.5 million / 10,500 employees = $2,523 per employee. How many of these kids quit after one day on the job when they realize they’re not cut out to annoy people on a professional basis?
@Paul, this is what Google is for. A non-profit will eventually spend that money (and by spend, I mean give it to a another company for “services” that turns around and cuts a bonus back to executives).
@ElGordo – $219 in profit per employee.
Can we throw out the concept that giving to canvassers on the street is a good idea now?
I overheard a super pissy canvasser lady today at lunch, she was yelling at some dude, “If we all just collectively decided to create jobs, we could all have jobs. But *some people* don’t want to create jobs, and that’s why we’re trying to collect money, to get jobs for people.”
Then there was the black dude representing the Southern Poverty Law Center, I wanted to ask him how he thinks the SPLC and DHS categorizes the Black Panthers, but I didn’t feel like ruining his day. If you’re not aware, a board member on the SPLC is with the Department of Homeland Security, the same people who called returning veterans and Ron Paul supporters “potential terrorists”. DHS and SPLC routinely work together to arbitrarily label radical groups as “hate groups” or “extremist groups” in order to delegitimize them.
The people quietly collecting soda cans from the trash have more dignity than canvassers, and they are the ones we should be giving money to. Help the poor directly, don’t help a charity help the poor.