Shining the Light on Giving & Humanity: Meet the CivicAIM team
March 2, 2021
Redefining philanthropy: A Conversation with David Maurrasse
May 24, 2022
While the sun still shines warm in Austin this November, I am realizing we are soon headed into the cooler, quieter, darker time of year. It’s a reflective time for many, especially as we come closer to another Covid-unknown winter—a time of counting our blessings, holding on to hope for our shared future, and yet bracing in our new reality of “anything can happen!” challenges ahead. That goes for our health, our infrastructure, our climate, our justice system, and our democracy.
In his article Rebuilding our post-Covid world together, Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, writes: “Before coronavirus, many took for granted that democratic values and institutions, especially in the US, were strong and, in Lincoln’s words, would long endure. Now it’s clear, they are vulnerable to autocracy in ways many Americans never honestly acknowledged.” He speaks too of a renewed, global, intersectional movement that is committed to fighting the clear and present racism, white supremacy, sexism, and more that still pervades our society.
I couldn’t agree more. As Walker writes, “We must move away from a culture of individualism toward the restoration of the common good. We must shed our obsession with rapid growth at all costs and establish, instead, a clear, shared understanding of inclusive, sustainable growth—with both equal opportunity and equitable outcomes. And we must push ourselves not merely to answer the call for justice, but to reckon with a history of injustice.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about my role and responsibility as a professional of color working in the field of philanthropy. Outside of my advising work with foundations, funder collaboratives, and giving circles, I lead and participate in networks – CAP® Impact Program, 21/64 Advisors of Color Pilot Program, and National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers – that aim to emphasize diversity as a core value to advance the effectiveness of philanthropy. One of my favorite parts about this is that I have the opportunity to connect with incredible, inspiring practitioners who are committed to changing the field of philanthropy to one that is inclusive of diverse perspectives and people. The sense of belonging that I have come to feel in the field has created agency to expand beyond the historical construct of philanthropy.
We cannot permit ourselves to resume what was,” Walker writes. “We must reimagine what can be.
In 2022, I’ll be kicking off an interview series with multicultural—and all cultural—practitioners taking a courageous stance on reimagining philanthropy. I look forward to lifting up their voices and perspectives, and I hope you will be as inspired by them as I am. Look for the series Reimagining Philanthropy in Practice & Profession sometime after the new year.
As individuals and as a collective, we must have the courage to elevate the common good, to imagine a different—and better—world, and to “work together to define a new age of solidarity, connection, and equality,” according to Walker. We must do it, if nothing else, because we are more than connected—our shared fate depends on each other.
As I reflect and reimagine my own role, I remain ever committed to helping people uncover their passion and power to lead and transform our world to a thriving, sustainable community—for all people and for our planet. And as a practitioner of color, I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my own voice to amplify the stories and strengths and gifts of others.
How do you reimagine your role as a leader in philanthropy? How are you using your voice to change the field? Drop me a line at erica@civicaim.com. I would love to hear your ideas and, if you’re willing, share them with others.
What We’re Reading: Philanthropy Resources
Check out these resources on equity and trends in philanthropy:
- Equitable Evaluation Initiative (EEI): Evaluation and evaluative work should be in service of equity. This initiative is seeking to redefine archaic rules “set by people from other time who were often engaged in work very different from today.” It offers an Equitable Evaluation Framework that embraces a more accurate and complex understanding of knowledge, validity, bias, rigor, objectivity, evidence, and equity. EEI is currently growing a community of practitioners and champions who engage in this work.
- Everyday Donors of Color: Diverse Philanthropy During Times of Change: This report examines the specific motivations and practices of philanthropy of donors of color and concentrates on the ways that diverse populations participate in philanthropy. The report addresses three big-picture questions: What motivates donors of color in the U.S. to give and where do they give? What are the specific tools and techniques that donors of color utilize to enhance their giving? Who gives to racial and social justice?
- Monitor Institute's What’s Next for Philanthropy in the 2020s Report: Drawing from interviews with more than 200 philanthropy leaders worldwide, this report explores what emerging social, economic, and political shifts may mean for the future of philanthropy, charitable giving, and social innovation.
What’s Your Philanthropic Aim?
CivicAIM is a philanthropy consulting firm focused on strengthening grantmaking, governance, and impact. CivicAIM supports mission-driven families, small-staffed foundations, funder collaboratives, and giving circles. Together with you, we develop and execute grant and evaluation strategies that lead you to impact, and we facilitate critical conversations and transitions that strengthen your board’s decision making.
