A Message from Penny Forward Founder and CEO, Chris Peterson

Starting something new is tough. You’ve got to spread the word, get people excited, and convince them that you’re the one who can solve the problem you’ve identified. But wait, that’s only after you’ve convinced them that the problem you’re trying to solve is even a problem in the first place. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever tried to launch a nonprofit or any kind of community initiative, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

This isn’t a story about the time I went to the local Lions Club to ask for a donation for my beep baseball team, only to have one of the members ask how I’d make sure their money wouldn’t end up sending doctors and lawyers to the beep baseball World Series. Isn’t it adorable that he thought our team was made up of blind doctors and lawyers? Nope, this is about something far more infuriating.

Let me tell you about the time I thought I’d struck gold. Out of the blue, I received an email from an administrative assistant at PBS—the Public Broadcasting System, the very beacon of education and public good in America. She wanted to set up a meeting with Stephanie Lewis, a senior producer for “Viewpoint Hosted by Dennis Quaid.” Yes, that Dennis Quaid. They wanted to talk about featuring my organization, Penny Forward, in an upcoming segment. I was over the moon. This was going to be the kind of exposure that small nonprofits like ours dream about.

Imagine my excitement. PBS! This is a network that educates viewers all over the country, viewers who are already inclined to donate to nonprofits that make a difference in the world. This is the home of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and LeVar Burton’s Reading Rainbow, two of the most formative shows from my childhood. This was the kind of platform where I could share our mission—to empower the blind community to climb out of poverty by providing accessible financial education, and to help them build the financial capability to strive for the kind of independence that is the American Dream.

So, I met with Stephanie. For 20 minutes of our half-hour call, I answered her questions. I talked about myself, about Penny Forward, about the work we’re doing to provide financial education and counseling to blind people. I spoke about how we’re giving people the tools they need to make good financial decisions and to work toward financial independence. I thought it was going well. She listened politely, asked thoughtful follow-up questions, and then came the gut punch.

She explained, very politely, why she didn’t think we were a good fit for the project. Now, brace yourself—this wasn’t because our mission wasn’t inspiring enough or because our problem wasn’t big enough. No, it was because, while PBS shoulders three-quarters of the cost of the project, the guest—yep, that would be me—would need to cover the remaining $24,900. That’s right, just a smidge under $25,000.

Are you kidding me? Twenty-five thousand dollars? For a small nonprofit like ours, that’s roughly a quarter of our annual budget. I was stunned. Offended. Outraged. PBS, of all organizations, should be the one place where those less fortunate can access the kind of exposure that’s usually reserved for those who can afford to pay big money for it. But here they were, effectively saying, “Sorry, you’re not big enough for us to care about unless you can pay up.”

Now, if you’ve been following our blog for a while, you know that I’m pro-business. I believe that blind people should be properly compensated for our work. So, when Stephanie asked if I’d consider being a content advisor for the show, I said yes—on one condition. There had to be some payment involved. You know what happened next? The call ended quickly. I never even got to find out if payment was an option because she thanked me for my honesty and transparency and that was that. I’m going to take a wild guess here and assume that, no, they weren’t interested in paying me—or any blind person—for advising them on producing content about blind people.

What’s even more infuriating is the fact that Dennis Quaid styles himself as a philanthropist, and “Viewpoint” is supposed to be an educational program. Well, I guess Penny Forward just isn’t big enough for Dennis Quaid to bother educating the world about us yet. But guess what? We’re going to keep doing our work with or without the help of “Viewpoint.”

So, when you consider donating to PBS this year, I want you to remember this: There are many small and struggling nonprofit organizations out there, just like Penny Forward, that could really use your support. Your donation of $19 a month—just 63 cents a day—would make a huge difference for us. You know what would make an even bigger difference? Spreading the word about small, mighty organizations like ours that are going unrecognized because Dennis Quaid needs another $25,000.

PBS is supposed to be for the people. It’s supposed to be a platform for those of us who don’t have big budgets, but who are making a big impact. It’s infuriating that they’ve turned this into just another pay-to-play scheme where only those who can afford it get the spotlight. We don’t need Dennis Quaid to validate our work. We don’t need PBS to tell us that what we’re doing matters. We know it does. And so do the people we serve.

So, if I haven’t done enough to convince you yet that financial education and counseling is a dire need in the blind community, I hope you’ll at least consider supporting another small nonprofit that is mightily struggling to make a big impact on a shoestring budget. There are so many of us out here, fighting the good fight, making a difference, and doing it without the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood endorsement.

Your support, whether it’s through donations or simply by spreading the word, means everything to us. We don’t need a TV segment to tell us we’re making a difference. We see it every day in the lives we’re changing. And that, my friends, is worth more than any fancy segment on PBS.

Keep on fighting,

Chris Peterson, AFC®
Founder and CEO, Penny Forward