Friday, January 6, 2017

Response to "Shifting Philanthropy from Charity to Justice" by Dorian O. Burton & Brian C.B. Barnes

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/shifting_philanthropy_from_charity_to_justice

ssir.org
We need a new framework for giving to address America's economic, social, and political inequalities.
My wonderful friend Rashid posted a link to this article. Below are my more detailed grants-focused responses to many of the theoretical issues he brings up:

This is something my Resource Development and Communications departments have talked a lot about. I've been learning over the past 7 years about the shifting philanthropic narrative: from deficit-based to strengths-based, from set paths for recovery to personal autonomy around focusing on problem A or problem B, and from charity to justice, and from mass #s to individual impact (with some impact and ROI language to back it up). All these changes have a huge potential to propel the sector's stability, longevity.... and overall ability to resolve these issues. These issues all point back to the nonprofit industrial complex at its base, tho... but that is for another discussion.

Certain donors are farther along in their acknowledgement of privilege and identity awareness. And, to be honest, the means by which they came into their money (or fortune). It's no wonder it's called "fortune" as some people feel it's because "luck" is involved and others feel it's "hard work," and those of us who understand social constructs (like racism, classism, ableism, etc) understand it's likely more related to those historical privileges. Some donors want to feel like they are doing charity/god's work....and they are afraid to support justice (I know! I know! It's problematic! Who doesn't want justice!?!). But if their money is used to create justice and along the way, I have the opportunity to support their learning about privilege, justice, and social constructs, then I will most certainly do that. Not everyone is movable on this point, but everyone's money could still help the cause. 

For example, it's hard for me, as a grants manager, to know when to move the discussion with donors into the justice realm. We have taken this shift in the majority of our grant proposals, appeals, blogs, acknowledgments, and other communications, but writing words that are sent to a person and having a live conversation about justice and power are two very different situations. 

A trustworthy foundation is necessary to have courageous conversations, especially with people in power (ie, people with money from whom we're trying to get said money). I personally think a middle ground between the  problematic "charity" language and the somewhat activist/polarizing "justice" language is "community investor." Investing in one's community for the better is rarely disagreed upon. It's a "safe gray space" if you will. It opens up the conversation for folks who aren't quite ready to be on the front lines of rallies but allows them to dip their toe into the pool of understanding political and economic dynamics that influence their world.

I think everyone can be brought closer to the justice narrative---it's a long and tenuous arch that sometimes could backfire if not handled appropriately. Which can and does and has happened. (This backfiring also doesn't bode well for our bottomline goal.) Then again, we think about whether or not "those" people who do NOT want to support justice are the appropriate donors to our agency. One could argue that plenty of other places do good work and that they would be happy to take their money. I would argue that if an agency is operating without the knowledge of the intersectionality of privileges, that they aren't actually being as impactful and helpful to society as they could be. And that the work they do could be more damaging to the populations served.And, to stretch it farther, that the money being given to negligent or unreflective agencies is far more damaging than not giving at all.

I've wrestled with these and other ethical questions so much more than I ever thought I would in fundraising, and these questions and the constant reflection on them keeps me on my toes. In addition to my own personal beliefs that tie me to my agency's mission, the fact that we grapple with questions like these and set aside time to discuss them---these are some of the reasons I stay in the fundraising field and, specifically, at Solid Ground. 

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