Can grantmakers and nonprofits work together? If there really were a growing trend of cooperation between grantmakers and nonprofits, what would we notice? A partial list includes:
- More communication between those with money and those with the muscle, spirit, and willingness to do good with it.
- More development and affirmation of common purposes, less on finger-pointing or distancing.
- More demand our public systems and private markets produce more fair and equitable outcomes, compared to just settling.
- More communication of real progress and real problems, less on “community relations.”
- More support for sustained effort and helpful assistance, less on shutting down efforts that don’t pan out immediately.
- More funding to go deeper, less for one-shot skin-deep or nice ephemera.
- Less enforcement of the dysfunctional business model.
- More spine from philanthropic funders, less self-protection and less avoidance of real opportunities to serve the greater good.
- More spine from philanthropic nonprofits, less self-protection and less avoidance of real opportunities to serve the greater good.
- More support of growing nonprofits’ capabilities, less on non-growth strategies.
- More resources to educate the community and engage it in a kind of activism that can energize even while it’s reeling from the effects of all the current crises.
- More intention to fix our social systems, with support “moving the needle” in those arenas that are clearly not working.
- More support for generosity, inclusion, and engagement.
Steven E. Mayer, Ph.D. / June 28, 2011 / Revised March 30, 2021
