About Barely Civil Society
Society. Politics. Nonprofits.
This is the Substack of Barely Civil Society, a writing and thinking project exploring the political economy of the nonprofit and philanthropy sector in the UK and beyond. It’s also about rediscovering the power and potential of civil society.
Avowedly left wing, socialist and progressive, BCS sets out to reclaim nonprofits for real social and democratic change.
Most of all, it asks how we can turn our work into what Paul Tillich called ‘a resistance movement against the destruction of love in social reality.’ That involves questioning systems and structures, and asking provocative questions, as well as arguing for a better world.
It’s also funny.
So if you’re interested in disrupting the cosy myths of the nonprofit and philanthropy sphere, and dreaming of something closer to our own ideals, join the nonprofit awkward squad here on Substack, Linkedin, and in other media.
About Alex Evans
The editor and main author of BCS, Alex is a nearly 30 year veteran of nonprofits and philanthropy, from frontline delivery to CEO, with the hair loss to prove it.
In the last few years, his writing and speaking on charities has increasingly been called ‘genuinely disruptive’, but this time usually as a good thing, not like at school.
He also brings expertise as a former academic in cultural theory and politics, and from his day-to-day work as an independent consultant and advisor to civil society organisations of all shapes, sizes and flavours.
You can see his writing at Alliance Magazine, Third Sector, and he appears on various podcasts and as a speaker at conferences on third sector politics and ethics.
He is tired, grumpy, suffers from multiple long-term conditions (again charity-related), and loves cats more than people.
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