Hold us accountable but keep us alive

Since it's feeling like we're all going down in a mutual fireball of financial disaster, this might be a good time to state a few things that are painfully obvious. But first, allow me to welcome the banking and auto industries to the nonprofit sector. We have a secret handshake here in the land of no taxes and public support, and please note that we meet regularly for coffee and bagels. In the nonprofit world, we like to share.

For years the heads of nonprofits have heard from leaders in the private sector that they need to behave more like for-profit businesses. The translation of this is, increase your earned revenue and rely less on contributed income. And the implication is moral: C'mon, stand on your own two feet and fight like a man.

We don't pretend that we can stand on our own two feet. We provide valuable stuff that the market alone cannot sustain. No, no, not Hummers. Human services, art and culture.