Hi Reader,

Because my work mostly engages organizations that are in an intentional period of growth, I spend quite a bit of time talking about how to build a strategic, sustainable fundraising engine.

Questions about who counts as a donor and how philanthropy really works come up a lot -- in all of their forms from “Who should we count as a major donor?” to “But don’t you think INSERT CELEBRITY NAME would *love* our mission and work if we could just get in front of them?“

One thing that is almost never squarely addressed, but that is swimming beneath the surface of everything, is the set of assumptions that go into the strategies that are being developed.

👉🏾 Assumptions about who can give and how much they can give: I can’t count the number of conversations I’ve had with board members about their discomfort asking “certain people'' for more than de minimis donations (including other board members!) 🤔

👉🏾 Assumptions about the “natural” power dynamics in funding relationships: I’ve also lost count of the number of times I’ve reminded leaders that are not powerless in conversations with foundations… 😕

👉🏾 Assumptions that we are all competing for a small slice of a limited revenue pie (rather than assuming that the pie is vast and that the IS enough for all of us.)

The list goes on…

This week, I’m sharing some articles and resources about how we can begin to unearth - and address - some of the assumptions underlying our everyday fundraising efforts.

Brooke

3 Articles

• Limiting what counts as philanthropy has curtailed our understanding of its scope and social value. A more expansive approach shows how it is essential for creating a more equitable and democratic society.
• Reconsidering the racist donor. This author reconsiders the role organizations can (and should?) play in pushing philanthropy to be a tool for creating equity.
• Who counts as a philanthropist? This report shares findings from the first study of its kind, exploring the intersection of race, gender, and giving.

2 Resources

• I always love doing a shoutout to org leaders that I work with and support through my coaching! Shout out to Yamilée Toussaint Beach, founder and CEO of NYC-based STEM From Dance. And in this instance, I’m even more excited because I also get to highlight one of my very favorite business friends, Sherry Quam Taylor! This conversation between Yamilée and Sherry is a really awesome exploration of one of the most critical aspects of major donor fundraising: how to show up in conversation from an empowered position.
• As the fundraising “tactical arms race" has intensified, this article suggests that it’s worth considering: What are the implications of bad actors across the ecosystem, and more broadly across a movement? (I also just love the examples in this one! 😆)

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