Pivot - Volunteers

You have worked hard to build a following of loyal volunteers. What do you do when a pandemic prevents these people from carrying out their work? You pivot. Have you thought about shifting their roles to a virtual setting?

How about entrusting volunteers to organize a virtual 5k race? Take part in a drive-by food drive? Or read to students via an online platform?

Click for a May 27 article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy that showcase how four nonprofits adapted their volunteer programs in the coronavirus era.

What are your ideas for “Covid-conscious” volunteering?

Coronavirus Shows Us It's Time for Change, Not Charity

A story posted on Worth by Tricia Raikes and published May 4, 2020 where she writes about “giving in service of change rather than charity.”

Started in 2002 with her husband, Jeff the Raikes Foundation is focused on young people. Over the years the couple and foundation staff have gained an understanding of systems effecting youth and have taken stock of the challenges by listening to the people they are aiming to help. Today, the foundation’s work is geared toward transforming the systems that are holding youth back.

The coronavirus and its disproportionate effect on communities of color and those of lower income further highlight the brokenness of systems that, based on where you live, limit access to healthcare, quality food, transportation, and jobs providing adequate wages and benefits including paid sick leave.

I was most struck by Raikes’ concluding paragraph, “By giving for change, not charity, we can begin to bridge our divides and build a better future. Let’s start now.” This article provides good food for thought when considering the work of funders. Is your aim to support needs or to change the systems that perpetuate the needs?

Unchartered Waters and Philanthropy's Reaction

If you are anything like me, you are feeling overwhelmed as to how to financially support our fellow neighbors along with the businesses and organizations that make our community a viable and enjoyable place to live. We often think of nonprofits serving vulnerable populations but what about arts groups? How about agencies that maintain and showcase our history? How about the local restaurant or the small business that carries just the right gift?

While I am seeing philanthropy starting to stir into action through emergency funds to grantees or dollars for hourly workers of sports venues that are sitting empty, I am also seeing nonprofits forced to turn to banks for lines of credit to hopefully see them through these times.

Over the next several weeks I will highlight examples of philanthropy taking positive action along with nonprofits creatively keeping the lights on. We are already seeing restaurants adapt through take home orders and deliveries and just yesterday I had my first conversation with an agency about how they could turn their upcoming Celebration of Mothers into a virtual fundraising event.

I am convinced we will emerge from these days stronger and more resilient. That our families will be more tightly bonded and we will see the positive side of neighbors helping neighbors. My porch has become a second office. From this perch I am seeing an uptick in people in taking breaks from their day by taking themselves and their dogs for strolls and taking time to chat with neighbors (from a safe distance). I am hopeful this continues.

In the meantime, stay safe. I welcome you sharing your own examples of philanthropy, people, and nonprofits doing good.

To start us off - here is an article from the March 19 Chronicle of Philanthropy that talks about the impact of COVID-19 on arts groups and a few examples of philanthropy developing emergency funding.

Trust Based Philanthropy?

A new year brings new hopes and possibilities for what can and will be accomplished over the coming months. Does the same hold true with your philanthropy? 

Are you approaching your giving with a bounce in your step for uncovering the nonprofits that are doing good work but may struggle with recognition or may struggle with pulling in consistent dollars so their leaders can sleep at night and concentrate on the work to be had? 

Are you looking for a collaborative relationship with nonprofits? One in which there is more listening and learning on both sides?

If you answered yes to any of these questions here is a resource for you. Take a look at the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project. This work was launched two years ago as a peer-to-peer funder initiative by funders from across the country to address power imbalances between funders and nonprofits. 

This project reimagines traditional funder-grantee relationships and envisions “a world where relationships are built on vulnerability, transparency, and humility; where community and nonprofit leaders are valued, supported, and trusted; and where funders bring an awareness of power and equity to their grantmaking.” 

Core to this work are six key principles: 

1. Give multi-year unrestricted funding, which is critical in creating healthy, flexible, and effective nonprofits.

2. Do the homework. It is the funders responsibility to learn and understand their grantees and not the other way around. It’s also important to look beyond your usual organizations to discover other agencies aligned with your vision and values.

3. Simplify and streamline paperwork. Limit your questions to those that will get to the heart of your decision making. Consider taking a more informal approach to learning about a grantee’s work such as through phone calls or video meetings.

4. Be transparent and responsive. Be clear about what you fund and don’t fund. Be clear about your process. Be open and honest about your own struggles as an organization. And respond to emails and calls in a timely manner.

5. Solicit and act on feedback. When was the last time your asked nonprofits their thoughts about an issue or the work being done in their field?

6. Offer support beyond the check. Raise up grantees work in your newsletters. Build and nurture peer learning networks. Act as a neutral sounding board.

Is this view of funder-grantee relationships piquing your interest? If so, let’s talk about how you can build these six principals into your grantmaking and the difference it can make in your philanthropy. 

Using the Courts to Create Systemic Change

Impact Litigation, an example of a new and different route philanthropy can take in the advocacy arena. The example in today’s blog post on Exponent Philanthropy (10/1/19) illustrates the efforts of Victoria Hewlett to not only bring awareness to the issue of sexual assault on college campuses (in this case Utah State University) but to change their policies around prevention, response, and how the issue is addressed.

The blog states, “impact litigation groups like Public Justice partner with legal clients to turn often traumatic experiences into opportunities for positive change.” Impact litigation goes beyond financial awards for clients by working to bring about lasting solutions. Such is the case with Hewlett and USU. Hewlett has a seat at the table in influencing future policies around sexual assault and brings with her the first-hand knowledge of a survivor.

Nonprofit Starvation Cycle - What's That?

Even though temperatures in Dallas remain in the 90s and it feels more like summer than fall, I know cooler days are coming as students are back in school and football season is in full force. With the new season comes a renewed effort on my part to share and create posts I believe are relevant to the world of philanthropy and are appropriate for nonprofits and funders alike.

A passion area for me is opening the dialogue between nonprofits and funders, not just around current programming but around those wild and crazy ideas that just might work. The nonprofits, their program staff, and clients know what it takes to be successful. They have ideas for twists to the “tried and true” but implementing changes takes funding - it also takes a willingness on the part of funders to listen, ask questions, and to walk alongside their grantees on what could be a risky journey.

One place to start this dialogue is for funders to do something they, ironically shy away from - talk about money. Funders should start asking grantees about the true cost of their programs including operations and revenue generation (development) and nonprofits should be calculating these figures. All too often project based funding does not fully cover the cost of the project thus leaving a deficit for the agency to make up.

This deficit situation occurs for three reasons:

1. A reluctance to reveal that program costs don’t fit nicely within the prescribed 70%, 20%, 10% ratios for program, operations, and fundraising that has been considered a “best practice” far too long; coupled with a reluctance on the part of nonprofits to dig through the numbers and come face-to-face with the true cost of their work.

2. A reluctance to fund salaries - if you don’t pay people to deliver a program how else will clients benefit? For most agencies salaries can be as much as 80% or more of their operating budget.

3. The belief that agencies should and can make up this deficit through their general fundraising thus putting a huge strain on the executive director and development staff to supplement programs that are chronically underfunded by donors.

I’m heartened by the recent work of the Bridgespan Group and others to call out what is being termed the “starvation cycle” of nonprofits, a situation brought about by chronic underfunding of indirect costs.

I encourage you to take a look at content prepared by the Bridgespan Group and posted on the 9/4/19 issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy - it just may change the way you view your grant making and may open new pathways for conversations with grantees.