Victoria P. Mitchell

What can Barbie teach us about funder listening? Much like Barbie Land's ecosystem, incorporating intentional grant questions, reflections, and investing in listening tools can help funders and grantees coexist in harmony. Head to https://lnkd.in/eSYw9tVK to read this article, published by The Center for Effective Philanthropy. #purposepossible #dispatches #articles #nonprofit #funding #grants

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Commitment 1: Embed Community Engagement and Accountability in strategies, policies, and processes. The first commitment is straightforward yet powerful: every Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement component must integrate CEA into its strategies, policies, and procedures. But what does this truly mean, and why is it so crucial? Why Integration Is Important By not formalizing CEA within our core strategies, we risk missing out on valuable opportunities to be more effective and transparent. This commitment ensures that CEA is not just an occasional talking point but becomes a fundamental part of our daily operations. It’s about ensuring that community voices are consistently heard in decision-making processes and that we are accountable for our actions. Research has shown that meaningful engagement with communities enhances the impact of humanitarian aid. Collaborating directly with the people we aim to help builds trust, and trust is essential to delivering aid in the most efficient way possible. Whether donors are individuals or governments, they want reassurance that their contributions are making a difference, and CEA plays a crucial role in maintaining that trust. This commitment represents a formal dedication to embedding transparency, honesty, and accountability into our organizational culture. It’s not just about putting words on paper; it’s about changing our practices to ensure that these values are reflected in every action we take. A New Way Forward This is just the beginning: in this blog series, I will expand on each of the seven commitments made in 2019, explaining in detail how they are transforming the way we operate. These commitments are designed to make our efforts more responsive to the needs of the people we serve and to hold us accountable for every decision we make. Remember this: unless we embed CEA into our processes, it won’t become a permanent part of how we work. It’s a foundational step that sets the stage for a more transparent and accountable humanitarian response. Stay tuned as we continue this journey, exploring the full impact of these commitments and how they are reshaping the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This blog is part of a series introducing you to Community Engagement and Accountability. As the Head of CEA at URCS, I am excited to share how CEA is helping to make the humanitarian sector more open, transparent, accountable, and effective.

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“Those who have been systematically excluded from philanthropy are pushing funders to rethink their approach to disrupting inequality. To help shift deeply rooted power dynamics, foundations must ensure that historically marginalized communities set the agenda. They also need to make clear to established groups that they share or cede power to more diverse voices, just as funders must diversify their own ranks. It is worth stating the obvious: this work demands that foundations move beyond the typical “add and stir” approach to women or people of color or rural or disabled or LGBTQ+ people, which imagines that simple (and often symbolic) inclusion is all it takes to solve a deep-seated problem. Being attentive to power can be complicated, but some parts are straightforward. Funders can think about how they structure convenings and be intentional about who is invited and who is speaking. Foundation staff can compare their grants: Who gets more money? Who gets less? Who gets none? And foundations can build these considerations into their strategic work. Finally, foundations must hire people with less elite backgrounds and more diverse experiences to become program officers.”

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Grantmaking isn’t just about writing checks — it’s about building trust, promoting transparency, and ensuring funding reaches those who need it most. Yet, for many non-profits and community initiatives, the complex and unclear nature of funding processes can be a huge barrier, sometimes even preventing these projects from happening in the first place. Enter choice architecture, a behavioral science-backed approach that puts grantees at the center of the process. By thoughtfully designing grant applications and decision-making pathways, grantmakers can reduce friction, build trust, and foster more equitable outcomes. In our latest piece, our contributors Anjali Chainani-Jha, PhD, MPH, MSW and Henry Feinstein from Anavi Strategies share insights on how to streamline grantmaking and highlight a powerful, real-world example from the Philadelphia Activities Fund that can inspire change across the philanthropic sector. Discover how small shifts can transform grantmaking here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eiqGtvYs #Grantmaking #BehavioralScience #ChoiceArchitecture #Philanthropy

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A must read for those looking at transformative and systemic changes: "Patient, flexible leadership and funding will be needed for the field of community development finance to evolve from the principles of market, scale, and self-sufficiency and fulfill its promise of increasing equity and opportunity in historically disadvantaged communities. Philanthropy will be essential for this move, but so will public and private developers, other public- and private-sector partners, and, most important, the empowered community residents and organizations who will be in the driver’s seat."

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🌱 **Help Expand Our DEI Resource Database!** 🌱 We're calling on YOU to share the readings you use to address #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion in #landscapearchitecture. Whether it's a book, article, or a great digital resource, we'd love to add it to our growing, collaborative database. 📚 Have a resource? Send it our way! https://ow.ly/CtVy50TQQtW 🌍 This living database, built with contributions from CELA member programs, helps expand everyone's knowledge. 💡 Notice missing topics like accessibility, disability, or neurodiversity? Let us know! Together, we can make sure no important subject is overlooked. #DEI #Accessibility #Collaboration #DiversityInDesign

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Thanks to the Headwaters Foundation for Justice MN for a great webinar on DAFs, “DAFs Explained, Critiqued, and Reimagined.” What do you know about DAFs? Donor Advised Funds, DAFs for short, represent billions (yes, you read that correctly) of dollars. As of 2022 DAF funds represented almost $230 billion dollars in potential charitable impact and donations in the U.S. DAFs are “potential” charitable donations since these donations do not have a due date for delivery to nonprofits, but the donor receives an immediate charitable deduction (tax benefit) from the DAF.  A donor makes a contribution to a “sponsoring organization” and while donors have the right to advise the sponsoring organization on their preferences for contributions, they do not have legal authority over the donation within the DAF. DAFs have… 1)     No required minimum annual distribution (like 5% with foundations). 2)     No requirement to report on the donation. In 2023, legislation was proposed to mandate payouts within 15 years of a DAF establishment. This legislation failed. It was interesting to learn about Headwaters Foundation for Justice MN approach to reinvest, reallocate and redistribute funding to make a difference to movements that need support now. I am curious to learn what others have experienced with DAFs, and any additional perspectives for how we could get more funds with transparency into our current nonprofit and charitable ecosystem.

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Participatory grantmaking breaks down the harmful hierarchies, top-down dynamics, and funder-vs-grantee binaries that dominate traditional philanthropy. Mama Cash’s entire grantmaking portfolio is fully participatory because self-led communities know best what works, and self-determination is radical change. Find out how and why grantmaking can and should become participatory: https://bit.ly/3TzPCQ1 participatory #ParticipatoryGrantmaking #FeministActivismWorks

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Donor Engagement

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A staggering stat in that headline -- DAFs (donor-advised funds) accounted for nearly $52 billion in charitable gifts, almost 10% of all giving. Five years ago many of us working in comms and advancement had barely heard of DAFs. As the number and size of these funds keeps growing it is crucial that you put information on your support pages about how DAFs can send you a gift and develop a strategy for working with these donors and funds. And with the stock market up ~20% in 2024 and more than 33% in the past 12 months, many high-net-worth people who are potential major donors will be making stock transfers into their DAFs before the end of 2024 for tax reasons, setting up the potential for even more gifts in future years.

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Thrilled to join Jeremy C. Park of cityCURRENT to talk about the importance o data and impact work in nonprofit/social sector settings. Key points: 1) Use an expansive view of data, that includes not just quantitative but also qualitative and non-standard sources of evidence. 2) How to get clear on metrics, measure it, and report to show success. 3) How to start a conversation on impact with the question, "What do you want your participants to be able to do?" 4) How to use leadership strategies to create a culture of data at your organization, asking your staff "what do you think?" 5) How to use data to advocate for your mission and change harmful perceptions / narratives in the general public to be more favorable to your mission. 6) The importance of having "enough" data to make a decision - and not worry about having so much. 7) How building effective organizations can multiply impact. Thank you Jeremy and for all the work you do at cityCURRENT to share the work of people out in the community doing work to power the good! https://lnkd.in/gSMF6iQc

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ICYMI: Our new Community Engaged Grantmaking guide offers a structured approach to democratizing philanthropy by outlining a spectrum of community engagement — from informing communities of grantmaking opportunities to community-driven decision-making through democratic participation. In this guide, we explore five distinct models of community engagement that help donors and foundations ensure that the voices of those most impacted by social challenges are central to the grantmaking process. We also share real-world case studies, such as how the Shift Health Accelerator Collaborative Fund and other leading organizations are already advancing equity and community involvement in their work. Read the full guide: https://lnkd.in/g7zdtSyx #participatorygrantmaking #communityengagedgrantmaking #Philanthropy #SocialImpact #alltogetherbold #ChangePhilanthropyBoldly

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Capacity-building grants are key to helping nonprofits scale their community impact. Yet, when grants rely too heavily on metrics, they can overlook real community needs—creating a mismatch between funders and grantees, especially for Black and Indigenous-led organizations. This blog post from Exponent Philanthropy's Hannah Smith—Manager, Editorial and Publications—underscores the importance of making capacity-building grants more flexible, particularly for organizations led by Black and Indigenous people. At Foundant, we’re grateful to see these crucial discussions becoming more commonplace and encourage even more dialogue around equitable philanthropy in the future. Learn more at: https://okt.to/cEsTr5 #capacitybuilding #foundantforphilanthropy #capacitybuildinggrants

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Exciting news! The 2024 Philanthropic Landscape report is now available for download! I’m proud to share CCS Fundraising's comprehensive analysis of the latest trends shaping philanthropy. This 13th edition report, packed with insights from Giving USA and other industry leaders, is an essential tool for anyone seeking to strengthen their fundraising strategies. The report covers everything from the rise of donor-advised funds and how to build an AI-ready culture to trends in election-year, individual, foundation, and corporate giving. These insights will help you refine your approach, identify new opportunities, and position your organization for success in 2024 and beyond. 📥 Check out the full report (it's free!) and let me know what you think: https://bit.ly/3MEpWiv #Philanthropy #Fundraising #GivingTrends #Nonprofits #CCSPhilanthropicLandscapeReport

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Some very interesting reports from Blackbaud Institute on resilience and Gen-Z engagement for charities. If anyone has good examples of #ImpactReporting I would be most grateful! https://lnkd.in/eJ3DhhgZ Many development professionals expecting to increase their income in the next year. Learn how successful nonprofits use and optimize their revenue streams to weather an unpredictable fundraising environment and find resiliency. Read the full report to see how your nonprofit stacks up, with insights into how development professionals: ➕Increased their new donor acquisition 👩🏽‍💻Leveraged early tech adoption for higher revenue 📈Enjoyed income growth in giving days and awareness months https://lnkd.in/eEptYbhw One-third of Gen Z supporters say they plan to increase their giving this year. Are you ready to welcome them to the table?​ Combining strong survey data from 1000+ Gen Zers and hundreds of nonprofit pros with powerful first-person insights, our latest report from the Blackbaud Institute delves into the data to reveal key Gen Z giving behavior insights, helping fundraisers steward this generation and build meaningful, lasting relationships. ​ ​Read the full report to discover:​ 🌍Gen Z’s deeply held beliefs and unique global perspectives​ 💡Top motivators for Gen Z donors​ 🎈How they prefer to be thanked after donating​ 💭Engagement opportunities fundraising professionals may be missing out on

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What are "Responsible #Fatherhood" programs? How do they work? Check out some of the highlights from our first report for TIES: The Testing Identified Elements for Success in Fatherhood Programs project with OPRE. The US government provides $150 million per year in grants to programs that help dads strengthen parenting + relationship skills and improve financial stability. We wanted to figure out which aspects of these programs work best! A few core components of fatherhood programs are most strongly correlated with successful outcomes for dads. #1: Individual format — Working one-on-one with dads, individual couples, or families tends to have larger impacts on outcomes related to parenting, co-parenting, father well-being, and economic stability vs. only working with groups. #2: Dad's role + parenting skills — Programs that include content on the important role dads can play in kids' lives and that provide them with skills to fulfill that role have larger impacts on the well-being of dads + their relationships than programs without such content. #3: Job training + readiness — Whether provided on-the-job or in career-building workshops, programs that target employment skills have a larger impact on dads' economic stability than programs without such content. Learn more about our process for identifying these core components in our new report, "Identifying Core Components in Fatherhood Programs: a Meta-analytic Approach.”

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All kids deserve to be nourished. A great piece by Michael Pollan on universal school meals. This is so personal to me, having worked for many years in the farm to school movement and then for the U.S. Senate, helping draft and advance two Universal School Meals bills, both which included free school meals for all students as well as key local food incentive provisions. With the 2019 intro of that bill, it felt a bit like a pipe dream (to be honest, a lot of Bernie’s bills were aspirational). But then COVID hit, and as soon as the Biden administration came in they provided considerable flexibility for schools to offer free meals for all students. What an incredible difference it made, and advanced the idea that families don’t have to literally be in debt to schools for not being able to pay the lunch bill, or kids getting shamed that they couldn't pay. Or worse, they just don’t eat lunch. We introduced the 2021 bill with a little more enthusiasm and co-sponsors, but the real excitement was going on at the state level where advocacy groups, state agencies, and even governors like Tim Walz were championing universal school meals. “One of Tim Walz’s signature achievements as governor of Minnesota was to sign into law a 2023 bill that made breakfast and lunch available to all public school students, regardless of their ability to pay. When critics attacked the policy and him as too liberal, he shut them down: “What a monster! Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn.”” Brilliant, Tim. And compassionate. Let’s make sure that all 28.6 million students served school meals each day do not have to worry about whether they can afford them, and they can focus on what’s most important -  learning, growth, and enrichment. #farmtoschool #localfood #foodsystem #schoolmeals #foodismedicine #childnutrition

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