Equitable Fundraising
From The Family Conservancy Advancement Team
Dear stakeholders,
Over the past few months, we’ve been making a concerted effort to listen to the brave voices in the community who have elevated discussions around systemic racism in the United States. While our country has been discussing inequity and injustice, we’ve been reflecting on our work, our clients, and the ways our practices have upheld systemic racism.
In examining our fundraising practices, we’ve been faced with difficult questions. Most importantly, is our communication respectful of the inequities people of color must overcome? These inequities, caused by a long history of oppression, is the root of their struggle. Frankly, many social service agencies are in existence today to address the impact these discriminatory practices have created and reinforced.
We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to improving our communications, and we have started by asking ourselves these questions:
- Do the terms we use to tell you about our clients promote dignity and recognize each individual’s unique struggle?
- Do we adequately acknowledge the flawed and racist systems perpetuating the uphill battle people of color, especially our clients, face?
- How can we be fair and honest in the way we express gratitude and assign credit to donors?
- Are we ready to have honest conversations with funders about their role in dismantling racism?
We are committed to improving. We do not want to stand idly by, therefore remaining complicit in systemic racism, but hope to serve as change agents. Examining how we fundraise is a very small start. You can look forward to hearing more from us on how we will strive to dismantle racism in our programs and other areas of our agency.