First of yall. PREACH. Your writing is so inspiring. Secondly, I think I’m supposed to find you. God led me here and we have work to do I’m told. I know that sounds so corny & foreboding but I’m just the messenger. and also you look so familiar lol
Agree with @Steph Balzer “My insight is that nothing will change until funding models change. It's the funders who need to shift their mindset.” One year funding cycles that support only program delivery & not staff development, infrastructure, program evaluation, keeping the lights on & regenerative growth are soul crushing. Mouthing the words “trust based philanthropy” and not changing the foundation’s organizational infrastructure & culture to support it makes the gaps you point out wider & the weight heavier. As a program evaluator who teaches nonprofits to measure their outcomes I see the gaps in funding mechanisms that require evaluation & “proof” of outcomes but then say all funds must be spent on program delivery. I call it the unfunded mandate. This same mandate expects grantees to measure outcomes in a 1 year grant period that take 5 years to manifest. It’s just a slice of the problem & why the trust between nonprofits & funders is eroded.
Exactly, Kelly! I see more and more funders throwing around the term "trust-based philanthropy" just as much as "equity" and other terms they like to use but don't fully embody/practice.
The term "unfunded mandate" perfectly captures what you're describing. It creates a cycle in which nonprofits achieve successes that they are unable to sustain/fully measure within one-year timelines. Meanwhile, funders increase oversight to counter the distrust they inadvertently foster 🙃
Beautiful photo of you too, Tirrea! And I agree: articulating the heartbreak and demoralizing experiences of those who've worked in community-benefit organizations is an essential step to making strides, and you have a gift for it. Please keep going. I love that people trust you with their stories, and that you are an exceptional guardian of their experiences.
I've been thinking about our sector's problems from another perspective: as a coach, consultant, and former executive director (and university administrator) who has worked in the field for 20 years, what will it take to prioritize the well-being and humanity of our professionals, once and for all? What will it take to build workplace cultures that are positive and fulfilling, not toxic and soul-crushing?
My insight is that nothing will change until funding models change. It's the funders who need to shift their mindset. Foundations, donors, corporations, and the like *must* prioritize investments in people. This could look like funding for leadership coaches, systems coaches, and relationship coaches because this is where our infrastructure is threadbare: sustaining hope and supporting people. (We should be the sector that leads in relational insight and progress!) But, if our cultural assumption is that our organizations must do this work with as little infrastructure as possible (measuring the cost to raise a dollar or the cost to deliver programs) then we will always have impoverished, depleted systems, not thriving ones.
Much of the sector does not need to be innovative, but effective. To be effective, we need people who are supported and valued. We need to invest in their relational capacity and their renewal on an ongoing basis.
Thank you so much, Steph! And I agree with everything you said 100%. Especially the need for funders to actually value the humans doing the work enough to invest in them, not just in their productivity.
First of yall. PREACH. Your writing is so inspiring. Secondly, I think I’m supposed to find you. God led me here and we have work to do I’m told. I know that sounds so corny & foreboding but I’m just the messenger. and also you look so familiar lol
This is so kind! Thank you so much. I'd love to chat sometime when it's convenient for you!
Agree with @Steph Balzer “My insight is that nothing will change until funding models change. It's the funders who need to shift their mindset.” One year funding cycles that support only program delivery & not staff development, infrastructure, program evaluation, keeping the lights on & regenerative growth are soul crushing. Mouthing the words “trust based philanthropy” and not changing the foundation’s organizational infrastructure & culture to support it makes the gaps you point out wider & the weight heavier. As a program evaluator who teaches nonprofits to measure their outcomes I see the gaps in funding mechanisms that require evaluation & “proof” of outcomes but then say all funds must be spent on program delivery. I call it the unfunded mandate. This same mandate expects grantees to measure outcomes in a 1 year grant period that take 5 years to manifest. It’s just a slice of the problem & why the trust between nonprofits & funders is eroded.
Exactly, Kelly! I see more and more funders throwing around the term "trust-based philanthropy" just as much as "equity" and other terms they like to use but don't fully embody/practice.
The term "unfunded mandate" perfectly captures what you're describing. It creates a cycle in which nonprofits achieve successes that they are unable to sustain/fully measure within one-year timelines. Meanwhile, funders increase oversight to counter the distrust they inadvertently foster 🙃
AMEN SIS. AMEN!
This is a word: I’m still figuring out what it means to hold space for collective grief and outright rage while also nurturing hope and imagination.
Thank you! Calling it what it is, is always the first step. 🙏🏾
Beautiful photo of you too, Tirrea! And I agree: articulating the heartbreak and demoralizing experiences of those who've worked in community-benefit organizations is an essential step to making strides, and you have a gift for it. Please keep going. I love that people trust you with their stories, and that you are an exceptional guardian of their experiences.
I've been thinking about our sector's problems from another perspective: as a coach, consultant, and former executive director (and university administrator) who has worked in the field for 20 years, what will it take to prioritize the well-being and humanity of our professionals, once and for all? What will it take to build workplace cultures that are positive and fulfilling, not toxic and soul-crushing?
My insight is that nothing will change until funding models change. It's the funders who need to shift their mindset. Foundations, donors, corporations, and the like *must* prioritize investments in people. This could look like funding for leadership coaches, systems coaches, and relationship coaches because this is where our infrastructure is threadbare: sustaining hope and supporting people. (We should be the sector that leads in relational insight and progress!) But, if our cultural assumption is that our organizations must do this work with as little infrastructure as possible (measuring the cost to raise a dollar or the cost to deliver programs) then we will always have impoverished, depleted systems, not thriving ones.
Much of the sector does not need to be innovative, but effective. To be effective, we need people who are supported and valued. We need to invest in their relational capacity and their renewal on an ongoing basis.
Thank you so much, Steph! And I agree with everything you said 100%. Especially the need for funders to actually value the humans doing the work enough to invest in them, not just in their productivity.
This is right up my alley! Let’s connect more!