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Powering Nonprofit Success Through Participatory Processes:

Did you know that organizations prioritizing participatory processes and deliberately decreasing barriers see a significant increase in program effectiveness? This Fall, I’m excited to delve into how this framework powers real-world success through our three-part webinar series, Insights for Impact!

On September 18th, Dr. Inderjit Vicky Basra, President and CEO of the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center, and Jessica Raymond, former Chief of Staff of the YWCA, joined Sharity Global Expert Anne Miskey to offer real-world examples of ways participatory processes elevated their organizations’ mission and impact. Dr. Basra emphasized the importance of including direct and indirect experts in decision-making conversations. She noted, “…layered communication makes the change.” When those in the community who experience the challenges your organization strives to address work alongside those with academic or professional experience in key areas, your organization can begin to affect systemic change. Jessica added, “When we talk about advocating for people and engaging their voices…here is the mic! You sit at this table, you tell me what you need from us, you make the decision…”

Key takeaways from the conversation included:

  • Write equity into your policies and procedures.
  • Avoid “tokenizing” the community you serve. Ensure that if you ask something of your community members, such as asking them to share their stories, you are developing and strengthening a mutually beneficial relationship with them.
  • Identify ways your organization may connect direct experts, those with lived experience, with donors, elected officials, and other community leaders and influencers.
  • Engaging all voices allows you to review and evaluate the impact of your programming with an open mind and heart.
  • Give credit to all the experts helping you execute your mission. Whenever possible, compensate and recognize direct experts, those with lived experiences, for their work on behalf of your organization, just as you would an indirect expert with academic or professional experience. 

Dr. Basra summed up the importance of engaging all voices when she described the success her organization has had with connecting survivor mentors with the recently rescued. “[Survivor’s] concepts around hope look very different because they’re sitting across from somebody, that at some point, was in the same space that they are in…Their survivor-mentor becomes a beacon of hope!” Anne added, “The little ways you can connect your donors in real ways to people” will bring about transformation.

Watch The Full Video Now


 

Grants vs Large Donors

Ask Me Anything Summary

When you start looking at major gifts, and we’re talking about six figure range, there’s going to be a high level of effort. doesn’t matter whether that effort looks like writing a proposal or cultivating and stewarding a major donor to the point where you’re ready to ask them for that gift.

The difference is that some major gifts in that that range, that six figure range, are going to be more technical, like writing a proposal, meeting the outcomes and the reporting requirements of the funder. or for, let’s just say a philanthropist being able to go in, work with that person, cultivate them, get them engaged in your plan, and then have the stewardship afterwards to make sure that they feel very confident that their money has been well spent.

So both require large amounts of effort if you’re going to do it right. it’s just different types of effort. so you need to be prepared when you walk in to trying to do large major gifts, that you understand that there is a significant amount of effort required.

It’s just a different type of effort and a different type of follow up and stewardship, but both require that effort. so make sure that you have that plan in place whenever you start to go out and look for major donors and major investments in your nonprofit, because it’s important that your organization shines in the beginning, middle, and afterwards.

And if you need help, you can always reach out to us at ‘sharityglobal.com‘.