Are We the System We’re Trying to Disrupt?
🔎 FROM THE FIELD - April 2026
In year 9 of nonprofit leadership, an increasing discomfort is my question of the desire by some to truly enact the things necessary for real change. Not always on purpose, but sometimes by just becoming "entrenched" in the system. And if we're honest, the nonprofit sector is absolutely another system.
How do we truly disrupt this system in the same way we aim to the ones surrounding it?
We talk in rooms - BOY, do we talk in rooms. And in them we encounter suggestions & even proven solutions. But when taking action is the next step, we often discount them due to pressure from many of the same leaders in the space who most loudly profess the clichéd goal of "working ourselves out of a job."
Whether intentionally or not - some become a deterrent to making that a possibility, through both words & action. We're sadly still decades away from no longer needing this work, but there are those who seem nervous even moving the needle a small bit in that direction.
Nonprofit IS business, it employs people & pays others through development & other projects. There is certainly a desire to not disrupt the proverbial "apple cart" in some circles - ZERO doubt.
Some is fear of change endangering funding. Many roll out the same programming they've internally identified as not really working, simply to not lose reliable grants & the small administrative fees that help make the monthly ends meet.
But if impactful systemic change actually creates better outcomes for the historically disinvested & underserved (read "underESTIMATED") communities our work serves, but endangers our individual jobs - or even organizations - we should accept it as a worthy exchange.
As an older white man, I try to always check myself & to make SURE folks know I'm in this for the right reason. I try to always operate by the "what's done FOR a community WITHOUT the community is AGAINST the community" adage, EVEN IF that takes my work out of a community. Hell, especially so if honest & responsible.
This work can be thankless, emotionally-exhausting & rife with burnout. But it's FAR MORE exhausting for our clients. That's what keeps me here & keeps me speaking out, even if to the chagrin of some.
I truly respect the communities I work in, receive it as well, & love many residents & colleagues I've met as a result. I refuse to become jaded & conditioned into "it's just the way it is" thinking that's in direct opposition to out of the box, innovative & passionate ideas that are ABSOLUTELY NEEDED to really make a difference in them.
Don't dismiss people for their different or outspoken opinions. We NEED these people, these discussions - and even the arguments.
Make way for the disruptors. You don't have to step aside, but have the humility to listen & CONSIDER alternatives.
NONE of us has "fixed" anything enough to be stubborn about our methods. New ideas should be welcomed, with humble experience offered in return.
Now go kick ass this week, friends & colleagues!
Kevin Poe is an outspoken, dedicated leader and advocate for equitable community development in St. Louis. He currently serves as the inaugural Executive Director at STL Home Repair Network (HRN), where he leads efforts to streamline resources and increase access to vital home repair services for city and county residents. Kevin also serves as the President-Elect of the CBN Board of Directors, on the Board of the Criminal Justice Ministry and as Vice Chair on the Board of Young Voices With Action.
Articles in “From the Field” represent the opinions of the author only and do not represent the views of the Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis or the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
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