September 2023
Things We’re Loving This Month
What the Pittsburgh YWCA is doing with $20 million from Mackenzie Scott
We all know sharing is caring, and the YWCA up in Pittsburgh PA is demonstrating just that. When they received a sudden, unsolicited gift of $20 million from Mackenzie Scott in late 2020 they decided to live their mission to help minorities and women achieve equity by supporting other, smaller organizations in the area.
The Pittsburgh YWCA is now working to distribute $10 million, or half of their grant, to projects that target racial and gender equity. Among the programs the YWCA launched in its first spending phase is Mission in Action, a grant partnership with the Black-led philanthropy POISE Foundation. Earlier this year, Mission in Action distributed $700,000 to 17 nonprofits, including the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh, whose work addresses race and gender challenges. (Click here to read more)
What a beautiful illustration of Community-Centric Fundraising’s 2nd Principle: Individual organizational missions are not as important as the collective community. We love to see it.
Articles and News
Judge dumps injunction bid in Atlanta VC fund discrimination case
The Fearless Fund, an Atlanta-based and Black women-founded venture capital firm, on Tuesday won the first battle in a lawsuit they are facing alleging a grant program for Black women small business owners is racially discriminatory. (AJC)
More Than Half of Black-Serving Groups Would Shut Down if They Lost Key Donors
The report, “Grassroots, Black & Giving: How Philanthropy Can Better Support Black-led and Black-Benefiting Nonprofits” found that “more than 86 percent said they often have trouble accessing a large number of diverse funding sources. Nearly 73 percent always or often struggle to identify or cultivate new funders. Roughly 53 percent said their organization would shut down if they lost key donors, and about 70 percent believe grant makers never or rarely help other funders recognize the value of Black-led, Black-serving organizations and encourage them to support these organizations.” (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
The Donor Pyramid May Be Bad For Giving. Can We Do Better?
A take-down of the ubiquitous donor period. I’m here for it! “Thanks to the model’s sole focus on gifts, charities put the financial exchange at the center of fundraising. Relationships take on a transactional feel and slight the many ways that generosity inspires people to contribute — as volunteers, as advocates, as ambassadors and influencers with friends, colleagues, and their social-media networks.” (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
Studies and Research
A research study conducted by Young, Black & Giving Back Institute investigates the challenges, motivations, social change priorities, community aspirations, and fundraising experiences of Black-led nonprofits. (YBGB)
2023 Philanthropic Landscape, 12th Edition
CCS Fundraising’s annual report of giving trends. (CCS Fundraising)
Resources
Reading List: Leading Through Change
Here! A reading list within a reading list! A list of articles on fundraising, AI, mental health in the workplace, the changing landscape of philanthropy, and other topics on the minds of nonprofit leaders. (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
A new open-access platform serves as a democratized and universally-accessible virtual environment for community building, impact-matching and knowledge generation within the global philanthropy ecosystem. Overwhelming to behold but tons of info!
For Funders
Equitable Evaluation in Practice: Towards More Inclusive, Just, and People-Centered Practices
“Evaluation and learning must be in service of and contribute to equity, yielding both more meaningful and relevant insights and information and greater equity — in our practices, community partners, and the questions we ask.” (Center for Effective Philanthropy)
“We Follow Their Lead.” How Residents Guide the Black Belt Community Foundation’s Grantmaking
A feature on a really impressive participatory grant making program in Alabama. “BBCF conducts its discretionary grantmaking through a participatory model, relying on volunteer community associates embedded in each of the 12 counties the foundation serves. Associates help nonprofits apply for grants, decide where the support flows, donate personal funds and raise money.” (Inside Philanthropy)
Lessons and trends in nonprofit capacity strengthening
What does nonprofit capacity strengthening mean and why is it important? How has it evolved and what are emerging trends in the field? These are the questions the Hewlett Foundation’s Effective Philanthropy Group set out to answer through this field scan. A few months old but still relevant! (Hewlett Foundation)
