Trust Matters: A Call to Reimagine Philanthropy
From time to time I get the opportunity to share my reflections with funders about their grant processes. I embrace these opportunities knowing that in most cases, the power-dynamics don’t allow my clients to offer funders constructive criticism without financial repercussion. In all instances, the funders I have met are incredible, smart, and engaging people with sincere intentions. Commendably, they arrive at our conversations eager to break free from the rut of “operating as usual.”
When we meet, I am often asked to shed light on some of the trends Brightspot is observing in philanthropy, to share examples of funders that are looking at philanthropy in new and exciting ways, and to provide specific feedback on their application processes. As we dive into their actual applications, we without fail, come up against the fear that a nonprofit will bamboozle the funder.
As an example, I inquired as to why one funder required a program timeline as an attachment, sincerely trying to understand its role in their review. The funder paused with a “good point” look on their face that quickly turned into, “Well there was this one time when an applicant presented a timeline that we felt was too aggressive so we didn’t feel comfortable funding them.” I have reflected a lot on this example which illustrates a couple things for me. Funders tend to imply—arguably unintentionally—that they are experts on the projects (or timeline) being presented, instead of leaning into the acknowledgement that the nonprofits themselves with boots on the ground, know best. And even if there was merit to this argument that the timeline was too aggressive, the masses are now burdened with having to create a timeline document that they don’t otherwise use. The reality is, this is just one tiny example of how fear is creeping into philanthropy and diverting attention away from the critical work that we so desperately need our nonprofits to keep focused on.
Look, I know that funders are human and well-intentioned, and I can appreciate that they likely have unique fiscal and legal responsibilities tied to their philanthropy. Yet, amidst this empathy, I arrive at the conclusion that philanthropy can do better, and be better for our nonprofits and our communities. And so in this above example, I gave a devil’s advocate type of smile, and circled back to the opening reflections that I had shared with them about trust-based philanthropy gaining traction as a “trend.” In short, trust-based philanthropy is an approach that addresses power imbalances between funders, nonprofits, and the communities they serve. It is a movement advocating for funders to lead with trust instead of distrust. I assured this funder that I was not advocating that nonprofits have carte blanche access to their funding but rather pushing them to ask what it might look and feel like to infuse a little more trust into their grant process. Every time I pitch this wild and crazy idea of trust-based philanthropy, the initial discomfort is palpable, but in every instance there is a degree of openness and that finds me optimistic.
All of this to say, I don’t proclaim to be an expert on trust-based philanthropy but find myself committed to continue having these conversations with funders on behalf of the nonprofits I work with, and to share with funders some of the progressive and thoughtful ways other funders across the country are reimagining philanthropy. There are concrete ways for funders to begin to lean in on this idea of trust-based philanthropy whether it be replacing RFPs (requests for proposals) with RFCs (requests for conversations), removing prescriptive data requests within applications, or making a commitment to allocate general operating support trusting that nonprofits will deploy money in a way that works for the organization, is true to mission, and therefore most impactful to the community.
I will close by sharing that I recently attended a roundtable event where some incredible funders and nonprofit staff engaged in meaningful conversation about philanthropy. At the conclusion of the roundtable, I was moved by the very emotional plea from an Executive Director, “We’re tired. We’re doing the hard work and we know what we’re doing. Please trust us. Just trust us!” On behalf of the nonprofits I have the honor to work with, I echo this Executive Director’s sentiments and am hopeful greater change is coming.