Thursday, November 16
9:30 am – 10:30 am
Workshops – Thursday 9:30am
Schedule
Fort Worth’s Fund to Advance Racial Equity: Perspectives From Two Grantees
Hear from March to the Polls and Community Frontline, two Fort Worth-area nonprofits that have received grants and capacity-building support under the Fund to Advance Racial Equity at the North Texas Community Foundation. Nonprofit leaders will share about their programming, as well as their experience participating in a cohort-based grant program. You’ll learn about strategies to increase civic engagement, improve policy-community relations, and advance racial justice. Furthermore, presenters will share an approach to grantmaking that includes diverse community input for decision-making and capacity-building resources that extend beyond financial support.
Giving Big: Lessons Learned From a Radical Approach to Philanthropy
MacKenzie Scott’s massive unrestricted gifts to nonprofits, including many seeking to advance equity, represented a radical departure from the proscriptive approach of many of her peers —which is often characterized by much smaller, frequently restricted grants. What can funders and nonprofits alike learn from the experience of the recipients of Scott’s grants? What have been the effects — intended or unintended — of her gifts on organizations, fields, communities, and equity efforts? This session will offer a sneak preview of new, not-yet-released findings from year two of a multiyear study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy to track the uses, effects, and consequences of Scott’s gifts. The session will both share findings and, in an interactive process, invite you to reflect on relevant lessons for your own work — whether as funders or operating nonprofits.
I Just Want To Help: Understanding the Problematic Roots of Volunteerism and Moving Forward With Compassion
The desire to help others can be a powerful motivation to volunteer, but when that desire is rooted in pity and paternalism, or a need to save someone seen as less fortunate, it can do more harm than good. Too often, organizations use language based in saviorism to recruit and motivate volunteers, especially volunteers coming from outside the community being served. Jennifer Bennett, CVA from VolunteerMatch, along with Faiza Venzant, CVA from the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration, will lead a dynamic conversation exploring how the principles of white supremacy culture show up in our work leading volunteers and how we can disrupt them in order to ensure more equitable access to volunteerism. Attendees will be encouraged to reflect on how they and their organizations currently recruit, motivate and deploy volunteers, and they will be introduced to the principles and characteristics of white supremacy culture and how they show up in volunteerism. They will also have the opportunity to investigate how volunteer engagement is currently limiting who is invited to volunteer, and how the intent to “do good” does not always create a positive impact. Attendees will leave with tools and language to move forward with compassion.
Shifting Power in Tribal Communities To Advance Economic Mobility
To support Indigenous youth and family success while honoring tribal sovereignty, communities must focus on shifting power. Power-shifting practices should empower community members to lead, and national intermediaries should be working directly with place-based partnerships. Session participants will learn key lessons from national, community, and Indigenous perspectives — from best practices that school districts and CBOs have taken to respect tribal sovereignty, to creating environments that are more welcoming and respectful of Indigenous culture and tradition. You’ll also learn about grantmaking that explores ideas leading to the common goal of advancing economic mobility. And, you’ll better understand how to create actionable and respectful land acknowledgements and build a shared community vision.