Taking the Long Road

How do you say goodbye to a family you’ve never really met?

I guess you, like the old commercial goes, “just do it.”

And so I do.

Goodbye.

For the last three years, it has been my privilege to write this blog about the non-profit world. Today, however, I compose my last post.

Shortly after the New Year, I am leaving Charity Navigator, my happy home for the last 7 years, to become the Executive Director of the Eisner Foundation in Los Angeles. It’s a wonderful opportunity for me and my family and a chance for me to spread my wings and try something new, to see if I know as much about giving money away as I have claimed over the last few years. But I do not depart without great sadness at what I leave behind.

We launched this blog nearly three years ago, in an attempt to make the Charity Navigator website more “sticky”, with reliably-updated content to keep our users coming back more regularly. But somewhere along the line, this blog became so much more than that. It’s syndicated by Newstex and Blog Catalog. It’s been celebrated in the New York Times, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, on ESPN.com, and on CNN. It’s allowed me to report from Hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, from the Las Vegas strip, the charities of Santa Barbara, and the halls of the IRS. It’s outraged the leadership of the Red Cross, PETA, and Locks of Love, among many others.

My first post was about Don Imus’s less-than-charitable activities, and that was long before the Rutgers debacle. I threw enough politicans, of all parties, under the bus that I’ve been accused of being both a “liberal idealist” and a “right-wing reactionary.” But all I sought was the truth on behalf of my readers, the donors who allow America’s charities to do the work our government once did. I shared many stories of good charities, good celebrities, and good families, and said goodbye forever to some extraordinary people. And of course, I condemned more than one person to a special place in hell.

Along the way, some of you have laughed with me, and others at me. I’ve been called everything from a “genius” and a “prophet” to a “moron” and a “sell-out.” (One thing I won't miss is the cowardice of anonymous blog posters and commenters.) But for all of you, I wrote as truthfully and as passionately as I could. And most of you, I will miss. I've had fun. And next time some non-profit leader does something stupid to dishonor the public trust, I'll miss having a place to call him out. But that's not my job anymore. Someone else will have to pick up the slack.

I’ll be at Charity Navigator a little while longer and I promise you that the organization won’t miss a beat when I depart. We have strong senior leadership, the best analysts in any sector, a committed and engaged board, the best users and supporters around, and a mission that is unimpeachable. We've launched a nationwide search for a new leader. While I may be moving on, Charity Navigator isn’t going anywhere. My proudest achievement here is that the organization I helped build no longer needs me. It’s humbling, but I couldn’t be prouder.

This blog, however, is calling it a day. My successor may or may not blog, but he or she certainly won’t do it at this address. This is where I offered up my “take” and in my last act, I’m taking it with me. I wish I could take all of you too, but here we part ways. For now.

Goodbye, family.

Thank you.

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