Event recap · How philanthropy can advance economic equality
In our recent panel discussion co-hosted by Aperio and the NYU SPS George H. Heyman, Jr. Program for Philanthropy and Fundraising, a group of industry leaders in the nonprofit space discussed the ways in which philanthropy can do more to advance economic equality.
Moderator:
Steven Godeke, Founder of Godeke Consulting and Adjunct Professor of Finance at NYU’s Stern School of Business
Panelists:
Kristine Borok, Chief Operating Officer and Acting Chief Development Officer, Hot Bread Kitchen
Caitlyn Brazill, Chief Development Officer, Per Scholas
Dr. Stacy Dykstra, Chief Executive Officer, Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
Dr. Seft Hunter, Director of Black Led Organizing and Power Building, Community Change Action
Our discussion started with our moderator grounding the conversation with the following statistic: the richest 10% of the world population owns 76% of all wealth—while billions of people continue to live in poverty. This gap was only exacerbated across the globe by the pandemic. The panelists of industry leaders shared their expertise and experience with us to help share conversation around some of the following questions:
· What role can we each play?
· How can we collectively drive change?
· How can the nonprofit sector approach economic inequality differently?
· What should individuals, foundations, and companies who want to be part of the solution be doing differently in their philanthropic efforts?
What do we need to understand about economic equality?
Before articulating what each of the panelists understood their role to be in the fight to advance economic equality, Caitlyn Brazill shared the following insight to lay the foundation for what each of us—as fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, and community members—needs to understand as we join the movement:
“At Per Scholas, we believe that talent is ubiquitous but opportunity is not. And, to me, that means that reaching economic prosperity requires recognizing that people’s start lines are miles apart.”
With that understanding, it becomes clear that we must activate to both support the immediate needs of our communities and dismantle the larger systems at play that allow, perpetuate, and even facilitate this inequality.
How do I see my role in the fight?
Our panelists connected with the virtual audience by sharing what they saw their roles to be in the movement:
Caitlyn called attention to her organization’s role in advancing economic equality through impact on the individual level: “Our method is through immersive training for careers in technology, and we’ve seen tremendous potential because we’ve been able to train over 16,000 people across the country to launch careers that enable them to earn upwards of four times what they were earning before.”
Kristine shared examples of how Hot Bread Kitchen works on both the individual level and systems level: “We try to listen, uplift, and advocate for who we think are the communities that have been the hardest hit by the pandemic…We also look at it from a systems change approach and looking at the industry and how we can transform the industry to create high-quality jobs.”
Stacey shared how she actually saw her role in advancing economic equality as an active one within her own nonprofit: “And, at the Regional Food Bank, we realized very quickly that we had to first address pay equity within our own organization.” In this vein, her organization embarked on a journey to implement a living wage policy.
From the funder’s perspective, Seft shared: “What has been most abiding for us has been a consistent and unrelenting focus on racial and economic justice. And, it’s precisely those two principles that still guide our work five decades later. So, we work with organizations all around the country, really helping those organizations to build power primarily in two specific ways: the first being through narrative power and the second being through building electoral power”
What can nonprofit leaders and advocates be doing to advance economic equality?
To unpack how nonprofit leaders and advocates can make a greater impact, Stacey shared the story of a couple who had to use the Food Bank’s resources for the first time early on in the pandemic. In sharing this narrative, Stacey identified the following lesson:
“What we learned is that those systemic barriers are nearly impossible to remove on your own, and especially if you have limited resources. And so, our work must be centered on the experiences and perspective of those facing these situations, to help us [as nonprofit leaders] solve these problems and remove these obstacles for people.”
Kristine built off this point by emphasizing the importance of flexibility and responsiveness:
“We were very much and still are a facility-driven organization. So, when New York City paused in March, we found ourselves in a position where we could no longer provide culinary training in-person… And what we realized is, we had to literally transform as an organization, and so we became a relief organization which we are not we sort of are now. And we started providing stipends to our women.”
How did Hot Bread Kitchen come to the decision to transform in this way? The organization launched a hotline to hear directly from women on what their needs were in that moment. Similar to what Stacey shared, Kristine emphasized the importance of centering the experiences of those in the community who engage with the nonprofit.
What do philanthropists need to know? What should they be doing differently?
When the panelists discussed what philanthropists—individuals, institutions, and companies—can do better in advancing economic equality, they centered on two guiding principles: collaboration and trust.
Considering Per Scholas works closely with countless companies through its workforce programs, Caitlyn articulated how important collaboration is:
“You know, I think starting a dialogue about what a shared vision for what we want the economy to look like and what we want the workplace to look like really can result in moving the ball forward with partnerships.”
Building off that point, Seft continued that philanthropy needs “to take seriously this idea of deep partnership—engage in a different way, more as a participatory contributor.” He emphasized the importance of the need to level out the power dynamic that has traditionally existed between funders and recipients of grants.
Kristine added that trust is a key element if philanthropists really want to make a significant impact: “I think we really need to look at trust-based philanthropy and think about, you know the work that we’re doing. If you’re willing to fund us, you should be willing to trust that we are going to use these funds in the most responsible and responsive way.” To that end, Kristine emphasized the need for continued support with general operating funds. She identified just how critical flexible funding was for keeping countless nonprofit doors open during the pandemic but has seen a trend where funders are reverting back to distributing more restricted funding.
This level of trust allows nonprofits to operate in a way that will enable them to listen to the needs of the community and be responsive. Caitlyn summarized the importance of “creating relationships, where philanthropic partners are supporting the mission or helping you to advance your agenda, but aren’t necessarily locking you into a plan that you’re just going to diligently follow regardless of market conditions and how the world is changing around us.”
We’re in this together.
As the conversation ended, our panelists emphasized the importance of needing to stand together:
Stacey: “This is an effort that's too big for any one of us to do, alone, and it has to be collaborative. And, when you're truly collaborative, it means you're willing to share or even give up what you might have been fighting like crazy to get to, you know, stay afloat. I feel like we have to present a different way to funders.”
Seft: “There is a place in this fight for each of us, and I believe to my core that part of what we have to do is identify what is that on-ramp for our philanthropic partners.”
It is together as a community of nonprofit leaders and philanthropists that we can advance economic equality in this country.
Before joining Aperio, Travis worked in the nonprofit sector in New York City and Philadelphia for organizations like Sanctuary for Families and Nationalities Service Center. He specializes in project coordination, grant reporting, CRM systems, event planning, and leadership engagement.
