When apparently conflicting nonprofit values "ripple" throughout an organization, should that organization, in total, be removed as an institution in the US society?
I have been advocating for such action for the Boy Scouts USA who have and constinue to promote a value that does not recognize the personhood of one part of the population that has a different dna than what current scout leaders and those who came before have determined makes this population as "unacceptable members". I can continue to stand by my charge that the Scouts do harm, as a body, from the head down even though I have to admit that I have and continue to meet some amazing individuals who are scouts or scout leaders -- people who actually state their objection to this particularly vile policy BUT people who also continue to play a role in and as scouts.
Now, what about the folks over at Tau Kapsa Epsillon (TKE)? There, a chapter of the fraternity, putting it politely, behaved beyond badly being racist to the max and chosing Martin Luther King day to do so. Not one aspect of this performance meets any standard of decency and only did harm. Doing harm: my standard for not acceptable and a solid basis for why a nonprofit should not be permitted to retain its tax exempt status. But the folks at the top of TKE have publicly decleared their own lack of accceptance for what the behavior of their chapter. Is this enough? Do not values ripple from the top and so one might argue that the chapter was behaving reflectively of what it has seen or heard from the top?
At the very minimum the lesson should be that what is determined by the top leadership of an organization must be enforced by the top leadership. If indeed the top folks at TKE are not satisfied with their chapter's behavior, should they not disband the group for having done harm? Would this not be the only acceptable action?
Values are not just words. There must be rewards for living positive values and consequences for having and living harmful values, I believe.