Fundraising as Community Building
By its very nature, fundraising is an act of community building. Asking individuals or institutional funders to support a museum or cultural organization invites them into a community that believes in the nonprofit’s intrinsic merit and public value. Positive responses to such invitations, resulting in donations, grants, or volunteered talents, means that the proffered arts programming—exhibitions, concerts, plays, festivals, educational initiatives—is worthy of investment. Creative social capital rooted in generosity.
But the racial reckoning spurred by the pandemic and symbolized by the murder of George Floyd in 2020 has called into question the established systems of philanthropic practice in the US, acknowledging the inherent power imbalances that historically have privileged a wealthy, predominantly White minority. In the wake of this ongoing reckoning, many cultural nonprofits have committed themselves to upholding democratic values of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) to more fully represent and respect the publics they serve. They are doing the important work of recognizing the systemic and internalized barriers that have impeded DEAI. They’re also engaging in fruitful, sometimes difficult discussions leading to action around creating spaces and experiences where people of different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs can find meaning in artistic expression, feel welcome, and truly belong.
This colorful public mural, painted in 2019 by artist Shepard Fairey in downtown Providence, RI, captures the portrait of Anjel Newmann, a staff leader of local nonprofit arts organization AS220, where creativity and diversity are championed.
Three years before the pandemic, a group of fundraisers and nonprofit professionals from the Seattle region came together to consider a different model of fundraising that didn’t elevate donors over beneficiaries. Their critical conversations empowered the Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) movement. Its 10 core principles promote the integration of fundraising with social and economic justice that is driven by community participation and well-being. Nonprofit fundraising consultant Rachel D’Souza Siebert, one of several original co-organizers of CCF, explains that community-centered fundraising invites everyone to consider the conventional ways that development work has been done and make some fundamental shifts in practice.
Organizations are turning to CCF for guidance in inculcating DEAI tenets into fundraising. Siebert and consultant Michelle Muri, another CCF co-organizer and host of The Ethical Rainmaker podcast, concede that there is “no prescription for decolonizing” a fundraising program. Like ethical fundraising, the methods and techniques employed must be responsive to an organization, its values, and its constituency—there is no one-size-fits-all. And for community-oriented fundraising to be effective, it can’t occur in a vacuum. Arts nonprofits need to adopt a holistic approach where a commitment to DEAI permeates organizational culture.
In the fall of 2020, the North Star Fund held a series of webinars on how to reinvent fundraising by shifting to an inclusionary, power sharing practice of “resource mobilizing”. (North Star Fund raises and distributes money to support grassroots organizing led by communities of color in New York City and the Hudson Valley, NY.) Its staff members acknowledge that freeing fundraising from the constraints of dominant philanthropic traditions is an intentional, ongoing exercise. They believe in the effectiveness and potency of the collective to pool individual resources for greater impact. Similarly, philanthropy advisor Edgar Villanueva and his organization, Liberated Capital, promote the Indigenous practice of applying “money as medicine” to repair social inequities.
Nonprofit arts fundraising efforts, however, routinely organize activities for donors that are “private” and “exclusive”, offered only to a select few—a practice that is counter to inclusionary principles. In the spirit of CCF and with the aim of stimulating dialogue, I have drafted the following methods for museums and cultural nonprofits to consider in aligning their fundraising with community. Although this work doesn’t rest solely with the development team, fundraisers can help to inspire an institution-wide commitment and work jointly with leadership to ensure equity as an organizational imperative that is visible in programming, operations, personnel, and community-focused relationships.
Here are some ideas:
Look inward first to “strengthen your own organizational culture”, as North Star Executive Director Jennifer Ching counsels, before engaging in the work of change. Self-educate on the legacies of racial inequity, gender inequality, and gender identity discrimination in the US; learn what others in the cultural fields are doing in these areas—here are some sample reading lists and other initiatives for museums, theaters, and orchestras, for example; organize staff and board trips to organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative; and talk with colleagues and others to enhance learning and build awareness.
Shift power and organizational “ownership” to involve the full breadth of constituents who participate in and benefit from an organization’s programs and services, not just those from society’s upper levels who typically wield influence. Implement the Beneficiaries Bill of Rights and engage non-traditional community members on boards, plus other decision-making and fundraising committees.
Rethink fundraising from unearned revenue generation to partnership and coalition building where major donors are among many diverse leaders who are collectively guiding organizational direction. Enlist prominent members of your board to persuade other principal donors of this critical shift in power-sharing. Recruit members of the younger Resource Generation to join these important conversations. And collaborate with funding institutions that prioritize reparative justice in their philanthropy, for example, the Ford Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Broadly define philanthropy, enabling anyone to participate at any level in the promise of charitable investment. Recognize time, talent, and treasure as equal and viable ways of giving that collectively nurture a culture of responsive philanthropy. And modify donor recognition strategies to acknowledge all givers similarly.
Reap the benefits of an inclusive workforce by hiring staff of diverse backgrounds reflective of your community, especially in leadership roles and as frontline fundraisers. And then safeguard their care and support, especially if they encounter others who don’t treat them with respect.
Reach beyond the usual suspects and engage donors from the full community, not just the affluent White 1-10%. Activate networks and show up, regularly and often, at peer events and other gatherings to listen, learn, demonstrate a keen interest in the community, and build real relationships.
Institute giving circles to elevate the power of individuals to give cooperatively and make a difference. Offer recognition opportunities to these collectives to reflect the strength of alliances.
Reorient the benefits of membership to be community focused. Continue to emphasize lower level giving mechanisms as ways to broadly create community by bringing people together through common interests and purpose. Establish a new “sponsor” category that supports free admission and free tickets to actively engage donors in expanding access to the arts. And if holding a black tie affair for well-heeled patrons is an important source of contributed revenue for the operating budget each year, make sure to also host a spirited and affordable block party open to all.
Be transparent in all interactions, especially in decision-making that affects internal and external communities. Foster a culture of accountability and integrity by being clear about policies, open about finances, and honest in communications.
Be intentional with messaging (text, visuals, and media) to be inclusionary and focus on shared values and connections. People need to see themselves in the organizations they support. Use storytelling to bring attention to donors of color and their impact.
Treat all donors with dignity and respect, and express gratitude, sincerely and regularly. It takes a village and villagers of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and hues to create community that has staying power.
Embrace experimentation and accept failure as opportunities for learning to innovate, improve, and try different pathways. Then share what’s working with your peers. Serving the cultural common good is an iterative, community-oriented process and none of us have all the answers.
As Muri relates, “Individualistic culture is transactional. Communal culture is transformational.” How is your organization embracing socially and economically just practices in fundraising that give voice to and engage diverse stakeholders in the arts?
Image credit: Shephard Fairey, Untitled, Public art mural in Providence, RI, 2019. Courtesy of Jonathan Wiggs | The Boston Globe