Dear John,

Giving Tuesday signals both an exciting yet exhausting time of year for nonprofits.

Two and a half years into the pandemic, we are faced with the rising cost of living and the looming possibility of a recession as thousands of layoffs are announced weekly. For some years now, we’ve reflected on how the frenzy around this time of year illustrates the inequity in philanthropy. We’ve implored funders to unbound themselves from the status quo, convention and procedural formalities, by partnering with BIPOC communities in reimagining new ways of working. 

The competition and short-term thinking, encouraging the holiday hustling and meeting 12/31 fundraising deadlines only perpetuates the scarcity mindset and places undue burden on organizations working on the frontlines daily and doing the good work to serve communities 365 days a year. 

This year is no different. We, the Revenue team, spent many months this year reexamining our fundraising practices as a whole. We reflected on our decades of collective experience as BIPOC fundraisers and lamented about the inequities that seem baked into the system, no matter where you sit, how experienced you are, or what you’re fundraising for. 

The result was an examination of the practices within fundraising and philanthropy and the inherent power imbalance between grantor-grantees. We asked, what if we charted a new model that balances the power dynamic between funders and grantees? What if we started to repair the harm done by philanthropy by changing a practice within philanthropy?

The Equity Commitment is a tool to help set expectations that grantees might ask their funding partners to adhere to. We see it as the first step for continuing an equitable relationship once a grant has been approved and the funds are received. 

The tool is adaptable and iterative by nature. It won’t work in every scenario, but was built so that nonprofits can take what they want, and leave what doesn’t serve them. Our hope is that our fellow nonprofits are able to adapt the tool in a way that feels right for them, and share how they did it so we can learn out loud together. We encourage funders to also dig into this tool, find ways to encourage their grantee partners to incorporate elements or come up with a set of expectations on their own. 

We hope the Equity Commitment begins the conversation between donors and doers about expectations for mutual, reciprocal, equitable and dignified relationships. 

Onwards together, 

Rakiba, Oscar, Mark, and Kimberly 
The Common Future Revenue Team