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Benj and Jessica launched a nonprofit. Follow our journey as we built a 501(c)(3) and a web site, and now usher in an endless stream of worthy charity nominees and monthly grant winners!

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Evicting the Elephants in the Room

Elephants in a room

There are only 6 monthly grants left to give. 6 remaining shots to see what Charitocracy can do, and what it can be, before we ride off into the sunset. We want them each to count, and to maximize the joy and minimize the controversy and strife. And that's why, for the first time since officially opening the website in September 2016, we're intervening in the winner eligibility process.

What we're doing

After discussing at length with family and friends in recent months, and receiving unanimous approval from Charitocracy's board of directors today, we'll be marking all of the abortion-related causes, on both sides of the issue, as ineligible to receive votes. Here is the complete list:

  • The Brigid Alliance
  • First Concern Pregnancy Resource Center
  • NARAL Pro-Choice America
  • National Institute for Reproductive Health
  • National Network of Abortion Funds
  • Planned Parenthood

This is in no way passing judgment about the worthiness of these causes. But they will no longer be in contention for the final 6 future grants from Charitocracy. Any current votes for them will be cancelled circa July 11. Also, new abortion-related causes cannot be nominated going forward.

Notably, three of the currently top-ranked causes (#1 First Concern Pregnancy Resource Center, #3 National Institute for Reproductive Health, and #8 Planned Parenthood) will be immediately affected.

Why we're doing it

The reasons can best be summarized in this bullet list:

  • Abortion-related causes have been the greatest source of hurt feelings, moral quandaries, and subsequent donation cancellations on Charitocracy. For a nonprofit built with the goal of filling everyone with the joy of giving, instead we're often leaving a bad taste in donors' mouths.
  • First Concern finished in 2nd place every month for the past 8 months, and in the Top 3 every month for the past 19 months, but it is always overtaken by the end of the month. This pattern is unlikely to change, because there's too large a voting bloc against it.
  • Of the donors voting for First Concern, I imagine many do it because they actively support the anti-abortion counseling common at Pregnancy Resource Centers, aka Crisis Pregnancy Centers, perhaps due to personal or religious beliefs. Then there are some who vote for it to support pregnant women in general, unaware of the biased counseling the women tend to receive at PRCs. (Further reading here if you're interested.) But there's a third group of voters that is most troubling to me: those who don't want First Concern to win at all, but who are gaming the system and voting for it out of worry that if First Concern doesn't win now, it'll win an even bigger grant in a later month.
  • For almost two years now, and especially in the past year, voting behavior has been dominated by voting against causes instead of voting for causes. I see more votes than ever being cast early in the month for whichever cause has the best chance of beating First Concern. I really can't wait to see which aspiring causes thrive in the ecosystem once the canopy of controversial abortion-related causes is thinned out!
  • Finally, and I think importantly, the donor who nominated First Concern quit Charitocracy almost a year ago. The strife was replacing all the "good feels" of Charitocracy with negative ones for her. We don't have a policy of disqualifying causes nominated by folks who aren't active on Charitocracy any more, but I do think it puts this action we're taking now in a bit of a different and more sympathetic light.

How you can help

We hope you can understand and respect this decision. Our board is lucky to have a mix of women and men with a variety of life experiences, personal beliefs, and political persuasions. This decision was not made lightly, but it was made unanimously and with the enthusiastic expectation that it'll yield the most universally positive and memorable outcomes for Charitocracy's final months.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Truly. We want to make this adjustment with full transparency, eyes and ears wide open. Your feedback is welcome and important, as always.

And finally, go forth and vote your passion! There are still some 130+ nominated causes on Charitocracy, and about half of them have never won a grant from us yet. So many of them are deeply meaningful, innovative, and impactful. If recent voting has left a bad taste in your mouth, too much voting against and not enough voting for, here's a chance to show what you're really about!

June 2023 winner A Mother’s Rest

Charitocracy's 82nd check to June winner A Mother's Rest for $1500

We have good news about June winner A Mother's Rest, right after this important update...

Charitocracy's Final Season: S8E6

In case you've missed my blog or social media posts, this is the sixth of Charitocracy's last 12 grants. We stopped taking new donations and cancelled all recurring donations in January. But we still have an exciting 2023 ahead because we'll be spending down our reserves. Each monthly pot will be bigger than the previous!

June 2023 winner A Mother's Rest

Last night we named Charitocracy's 82nd monthly winner. Congratulations to A Mother's Rest, nominated by donors Alistair and Rebecca. They are a network of B&Bs offering respite retreats to parents/caregivers of loved ones with disabilities or chronic illness. You can find their website here.

Now watch this painfully moving video about a moms' weekend retreat in Missouri earlier this year. Then feel good about your part in our collective $1500 grant to support their ongoing work, taking care of the caretakers.

Have a great July, and be sure to log into Charitocracy to update your votes or nominate a new cause!

May 2023 winner NAACP Foundation

Charitocracy's 81st check to May winner NAACP Foundation for $1400

We have good news about May winner NAACP Foundation, right after this important update...

Charitocracy's Final Season: S8E5

In case you've missed my blog or social media posts, this is the fifth of Charitocracy's last 12 grants. We stopped taking new donations and cancelled all recurring donations in January. But we still have an exciting 2023 ahead because we'll be spending down our reserves. Each monthly pot will be bigger than the previous!

May 2023 winner NAACP Foundation

Yesterday we named Charitocracy's 81st monthly winner. Congratulations to NAACP Foundation, nominated by donor Nancy P. They raise funds and promote philanthropy to sustain civil rights and social justice advocacy. You can find their website here.

Now check out news of the Florida travel advisory put out by NAACP. Then feel good about your part in our collective $1400 grant to support their ongoing work to advocate for social justice.

Have a great June, and be sure to log into Charitocracy to update your votes or nominate a new cause!