Short Essays and Tools for Focusing Philanthropy

Short Essays

Pathways to Progress on the Gulf Coast: The Necessity of Funding Networks (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer and Athan L. Lindsay. To make the Gulf whole again, we need a different vision, and a different visioning process, to take us to a future that’s both more practical and more sustainable. Dated July 7, 2010

After The Flood (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. Written in the days after Katrina struck, this presents a short analysis of how foundations can use their assets differently -- and better -- to facilitate a recovery that doesn't just rebuild the old system, that gives everyone an opportunity to help in the recovery and redevelopment, and engages the talents of more of the region's people. Originally dated October 2, 2005, re-issued June 14, 2010

Can Philanthropy Help Society Make Progress? (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. There's been a good bit of talk about its potential, but... Dated February 8, 2010 PDF

Community Philanthropy: Strategies for Impacting Vulnerable Populations (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. A paper written while Scholar in Residence, Center for Community Philanthropy, Clinton School of Public Service, University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Dated May 1, 2009.

Philanthropy and Social Justice: Thinking Differently About Evaluation

By Steven E. Mayer. Funders frequently ask of nonprofit efforts, "What's the bottom line?" Unfortunately, this question has limited use outside of business settings, where it originates. In social justice work, the bottom line is typically to reduce inequities or disparities, but this is almost never under the control of just one organization. Better than asking for "measures of bottom line impact" is to more gently ask for "evidence of progress" and justification that this evidence is plausibly connected to disparities reduction. Try this exercise: assume the program you support or operate has been accused of being trivial or ineffective, doing nothing to reduce disparities or improve social justice. What evidence could you provide in its defense? Dated Jun 12, 2008.

The Winners of the 2009 Effies Award Have Been Chosen!

The purpose of the 2009 Effies® is to recognize and publicize excellent examples of effective practice in social justice philanthropy -- philanthropy that aims to upgrade key policies and practices so as to level the playing fields and make our systems work effectively and more fairly for all.

Short Essays

How to Create More Social Justice With Your Philanthropy (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. Four key steps can help you transform your philanthropy to make much more of a difference. Once you've decided to help "close a gap" or "reduce a disparity," you can use the six Pathways to Progress to guide your investments. Dated Mar 25, 2008.

Op-Ed: Philanthropy Must Address Structural Inequities (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. Until foundations address the structural inequities that contribute significantly to human suffering, their own effectiveness will be limited. … Philanthropic organizations can and must put their shoulders to the wheels. Until it does, and becomes more relevant to today’s society, we will continue to see mean-spirited systems and markets that contribute to substantial human suffering, and highly mediocre levels of philanthropic organization performance. Dated Jan 9, 2008.

Gaps in Racial Equity, and Strategies for Reducing Them (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. An evidence-based inventory of gaps and disparities, plus what we mean by “gaps” and “disparities.” Also, technical and human issues in understanding gaps and disparities, and a five-step strategy for reducing gaps.

Philanthropy and Philanthropic Organizations (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. What we mean by philanthropy. Kinds of philanthropic or charitable organizations. Reasons why people give. Philanthropy, in its newest personal and organized forms, is for everyone.

Racial Equity (pdf)

by Steven E. Mayer. By racial equity, we mean that ideal situation in which society’s systems and markets perform equally well for different racial and ethnic groups. Inequity, shown in the data as performance gaps, implies injustice.

Social Justice (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. Definitions of social justice culled from the Web, meant to show its various meanings. Its roots in faith traditions, law, and political theory. Its connection to philanthropy, human rights, spirituality, and the quest for racial equity.

Providing Culturally Appropriate Technical Assistance

By Betty Emarita. Technical assistance has a cultural viewpoint, acknowledged or not. Getting the right kind of assistance can make all the difference, and the wrong kind can be harmful. Examples of appropriate assistance. Why this is important to effective grantmaking.

Relationships as Infrastructure in Southern African American Communities

By Betty Emarita. In human society, and in Southern African American communities especially, relationships serve as an essential infrastructure for getting things done. An example from the Black Belt Community Foundation in Alabama. Why this is important to philanthropy.

Saving the Babies: A Clash of Philanthropic Approaches (pdf)

By Steven E. Mayer. A parable is used to illustrate a key dilemma in philanthropy: Do we use our charitable resources to save drowning babies one at a time, or do we look upstream for the causes of casualties and invest in solutions? Or both.

Tools

Introduction and Overview to Three Tools to Assist Progress (pdf)

This collection of tools produced by Effective Communities LLC especially for this project are meant to help philanthropic organizations (foundations and nonprofits) better address issues of social justice and racial equity. Each one is intended to address one of three major barriers to progress identified in this inquiry:

Racial equity and social justice are not easily discussed;
Becoming effective in this arena requires unique preparation;
Philanthropic efforts to increase racial equity and social justice are meaningful but dispersed, diluted, or fragmented.

Moving Past the Silence: A Tool for Negotiating Reflective Conversations About Race (pdf)

This tool provides a framework for structuring conversations about race, starting inside your organization and moving them out. It presents a framework to guide entry into reflective, productive conversations that allow the organization to address racial equity and social justice.

Becoming a Catalyst for Social Justice: A Tool For Aligning Internal Operations to Produce Progress (pdf)

This tool will help philanthropic organizations become more intentional catalysts for social justice. It can be used in staff or board retreats, as a template for considering organizational performance and plans. This tool will help foundations and nonprofits identify the strengths and weaknesses of a particular idea or proposal, so that the ones most productive for addressing social justice or racial equity rise to the top.

Choosing Promising Ideas and Proposals: A Tool For Giving That Closes The Gaps (pdf)

This tool will help foundations and nonprofits identify the strengths and weaknesses of a particular idea or proposal, so that the ones most promising for addressing social justice or racial equity rise to the top.

This page last updated July 17, 2010