The Genuine Article

Throughout the sessions I attended today, one word seemed to be woven throughout various discussions. That word is “authenticity.” The central purpose of community foundations is to do good in the community. We provide an avenue for donors to use their funds to help organizations address vital issues, even from the beyond the grave. We help nonprofits mobilize on a larger scale with community partners, government agencies, and the private sector to maximize resources to the better benefit of all.

Sounds like a good idea, so who would question our motives? In the CF world, we often ask, “What is the donor’s intent?” And while poring through multiple LOIs during the never-ending granting cycle, we ask, “What is the purpose of this program? Who will benefit? How can we measure?” However, many members of the community are turning the tables and pointing the fingers back at us.

During the session “Breaking Myths on Donor Advised Funds,” a member of the audience asked (paraphrasing), “Are we doing a bait and switch with donors who start funds with a specific area of focus, and only months later, their in-box is flooded with solicitation for CF initiatives, which often have nothing do with their interests?” This notion of the donor versus the community foundation was highlighted by results from the “CF Insights 31” org study: There is a gap between donors’ priorities (re intent) and what community foundations are pushing as high ranking on their own agendas such as steering certain grantees to a donor, grantees who are also funded on the program side.

On the program side of the house, authenticity was also a key word in the discussion at the session “Beyond Grantmaking: Strengthening Communities Through Community Engagement.” When CFs serve as conveners, can we truly be neutral? Can we simply play the role of glorified meeting planner without the expectation of being funders, staffers, and/or advocates for addressing the issues at hand? How can we build trust in the communities we serve if we do not explicitly say, “We stand with you”? 

Here are some questions to ponder:

1. Who sets the focus? Does the CF bring important issues to attention of the larger communities in hopes of financial support, or do we wait for donors and agencies to bring those with evident needs to our attention? Who is driving the market?
2. If the communities we serve do not understand our role, let alone know who we are and trust us, is this a sign that we are a self-serving entity?

Sarah M. Berry  is development & donor services assistant for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.