Community-Centric Fundraising

Led by Andrea Pacheco, ILD '20, Development Director, Project Angel Heart and Amy Daly, ILD ' 14, Communications and Development Consultant

The Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) movement began with the work of Vu Le and his colleagues in the Northwest in 2015. Today, the movement has spread across with country with local chapters popping up, including one right here in Colorado. CCF is grounded in 10 principles with a central focus on race, equity, and social justice. Since the movement began, they've learned that when organizations continue to center these values, greater retention of BIPOC fundraisers follows.

Key Questions to Consider
1. Are you aware of the power dynamics and imbalances that exist within your organization and your community?
2. Donor-first language is pervasive. Do your communications encourage the "savior myth" that centers the donor as the superhero? How does this approach reinforce or impact power imbalances?
3. How could your communications reflect that you equally value all members of your community?
4. Do we value time equally as money?

If you're just getting started with these principles, remember that everyone has ability within themselves to start to make change. If you were able to make a 15% shift, what would that look like? It might include changing the images you use or way you offer tours to avoid poverty tourism, or shifting from "you" to "we" language, or publicly supporting social justice movements and denouncing acts of hatred.