13. What action can you take to
support this effort?
What obstacles do you foresee?
How do we overcome them?
Notas del editor
Last fall I began talking to funders – including some of the people in this room - about how to advance the winning environmental movement that we need.
What I was looking for in these conversation were answers to the question: How can we change our practices in ways that will strengthen grassroots organizations and build the collaborative trusting equitable relationships we need between local and national groups?
These were incredibly interesting discussions with Carnegie Endowment, Kresge, Jessie Smith Noyes, Overbrook, Wilburforce, Rockefeller Family foundation, Open Society Institute, CS Mott and that very visionary thinker Peter Riggs!
In these conversations I heard many times over [CUE] this is such an important conversation to be having right now.
I’ve spent the last 15 years in philanthropy and what I heard this fall convinced me not only that this effort is historic and necessary, but do-able, and the time is now.
Everyone I spoke with believes we can and must act. Everyone had ideas about how to build this winning environmental movement.
We know that when grassroots hustle combines with Big Green muscle we accomplish great things. We stage the largest climate protest in history.
When we work together We know we can crush Big Oil despite all their millions like we did on No on 23.
We know we can pass legislation that results in cleaner air for everyone - no matter what neighborhood you live in.
This is what we mean when we say IMPACT. Through equity and alignment.
I wanted to share with you some of the ideas that came out of these conversations.
Ideas generated when I asked how do we make the investments that need to be made?
How can we organize our funder colleagues so they will join us?
How do we build organizational capacity?
How do we cultivate strong trusting strategic relationships between local and national organizations?
This is not a comprehensive list. It’s just the beginning. I’m going to run through six ideas.
They are ideas, suggestions, things we need to talk about Ways that funders can support the goals of this incredibly important initiative.
IDEA #1
You know the sector. You know who’s who – You can help us identify the program officers, foundations, the donors who are ready to listen to how the new winning environmental movement can be built.
#2
Help open doors for us. Help us share what we’re doing with the larger philanthropic community. Be our Frontlines Evangelists!
You are the only people who can open those doors for us.
Let’s submit conference proposals, workshops, panels so people can learn about the B’s strategy for winning.
Our stories of impact? We have them. But those stories are not nearly well enough known in the larger philanthropic community. As a communications professional in this sector, I have been troubled by this for years. We need to be proactive. We need to bring these stories and this model to our colleagues.
.
#3 – Fund GR and national to work together. Create the space so that local and national groups can get to know each other, build trust, and forge campaigns together.
#4 Convene us:
As funders we are uniquely positioned in this space to do that. When we call people to the table, they show up.
#5 Help develop strategies for capacity building. It’s incredibly important.
If we are going to win, grassroots groups, and some of the big greens as well, are going to have to be stronger,
we’re going to have to learn how to work together,
and how to communicate our messages more effectively.
And finally consider A FUNDER COLLABORATIVE. It could…
Align funding and strategy among participating foundations.
Prioritize grants that encourage local and national to work together
Prioritize capacity building.
Engage an INTERMEDIARY ORG so that those smaller grants can go to local groups.
In the course of my research one program officer said: You know you should really talk to Carnegie about the funder collaborative on immigration.
Some of you may know this story.
10 years ago, the immigration reform movement confronted many of the same problems we are talking about here today.
Relationships between local and national groups were not strong.
Capacity needed to be built.
So A funders collaborative was formed.
10 years later the results are:
1) an increase in overall funding for immigration reform work.
local AND national groups are stronger because the collaborative emphasized capacity building
coordination between local and national groups is much stronger.
After disastrous midterm elections last November, Prez Obama came out the very next day and said he was moving ahead with immigration reform. And he has.
THAT’S THE POWER THAT FUNDER COLLABORATIVE HAS BUILT IN THE LAST DECADE.
I’m going to ask you to roll up your sleeves and do some work, but I want to offer you 120 seconds of pure inspiration. VIDEO.
Now we need to put you to work!
The stakes are huge. Funder investment is essential.
Your participation in Building Equity and Alignment for Impact and your work as a grantmaker and capacity builder is so important.
CUE TEXT.
Let’s take 10 minutes. Turn to a partner. Share some of your own thinking about how you can support this effort. What action can you take?
And if you’re feeling uncertain how to move forward, talk about the obstacles you foresee so we can discuss how to overcome them.