by Tova Sherman
Recently I had the pleasure of appearing on a national game show, the Battle of the Generations. Let’s get this out of the way first: no, I did not win. But in addition to being a fun way to test my trivia knowledge it was one of the times where I was comfortable being strictly performative in a career dedicated to being authentically productive. Just standing in front of a camera and sharing that I live with ADHD and that I am dedicated to working in the NGO field felt important, despite being strictly performative.
To be clear, in the NGO world, “productive” means achieving actual results and making meaningful progress toward the organization’s mission, while “performative” means engaging in actions or behaviors that appear supportive or effective but lack genuine substance or achieve little tangible impact.
The clear reason to prioritize productive work over performative actions is that NGOs rely on trust, funding, and demonstrating real impact to survive and succeed. Performative behavior can undermine these crucial elements by creating a false impression of progress.
Truth be told; performative is a pejorative for people that publicly act out in a way to show their goodness and virtue but do not actually do the real work. Performative actions are very rarely welcome in the NGO world, but there is room for this approach in certain circumstances.
Although performative actions are done primarily to be seen by others and project a certain image or social identity, or to gain social approval rather than to effect real change, getting the word out about our agency and our actions in support of our community is essential to our success. A little performative showmanship once in a while can work wonders in this regard.
There are many more reasons to be proactive over performative. For genuine effectiveness, innovation, and long-term success, proactive behaviors lead to tangible results and a sense of mastery, while performative acts offer little in the way of real impact – unless you have the opportunity to get word out about your actions on a large scale. For example, on a nationally broadcast TV show.
Staying vigilant against performative actions is important in any NGO. The dangers of performative actions is that they can often give a false feeling of forward momentum. Performance can be fun, and it can feel like a moment to celebrate our own efforts and successes. But indulging too often in performance reveals a very flawed focus and an organization that’s caught up on superficial engagement, hollow statements, and prioritizing of appearance over impact.
While I’m glad I took this opportunity to promote the work that everyone at reachAbility does in service of our community, I’m equally glad to be back at home and focused on what really matters: helping those most in need, sharing resources and expertise, and helping to make real, tangible progress towards becoming a more inclusive and accessible community.
