The Diversity in Philanthropy was an effort started by leading foundation trustees and staff to increase diversity in the field through open dialogue and strategic action. It is a three-year initiative (2007-2009) that seeks to expand diversity, equity and inclusion in board and staff representation, grantmaking and contracting. The initiative is led by Dr. Robert Ross of The California Endowment, Stephen B. Heintz of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Sterling Speirn of W.K. Kellogg Foundation. DPP's work includes publishing case studies, research and presenting videos.
The case study, How are Foundations Communicating Their Work on Diversity? was led by Paul Bachleitner, a consultant and founder of Bachwriter. The report focuses on communications best practices and related opportunities to expand diversity in philanthropy. We had a chance to connect with Paul and learn more about the study.
Q: What was the purpose of the study?
The first was to do some reporting on how foundations are currently communicating their work on diversity and inclusiveness. Very little accessible information exists on the topic. My objective was to offer a snapshot that could provide some insight.
I interviewed communications officers at five foundations that are engaging in some outstanding work in the field: Ford Foundation, C.S. Mott Foundation, The Denver Foundation, Packard Foundation, and Marguerite Casey Foundation. The central question was: how are they acting strategically to coordinate communications about their work? The case study focuses on the strategies that are most replicable or innovative.
For instance, in 2007-8, traditional network TV and other national media outlets didn’t provide much coverage of Marguerite Casey’s Equal Voice campaign, which calls attention to the policy and economic concerns of families in communities of color and low-income communities. So, Marguerite Case approached more diverse media sources, including over 80 cultural and ethnic daily publications, local newspapers, online media (e.g., the Huffington Post), and social media (e.g., You Tube, Facebook). The result was that the campaign still gained broad, and in many ways more direct, coverage that effectively engaged the public through a wide array of media sources. The bulk of the case study is devoted to a number of similar examples that show what's happening around the country and provide actionable ideas for readers' own work.
The second purpose, closely tied to this, was to suggest possibilities for a best practices platform and to start a discussion of what the platform might look like, if indeed one is needed. The last section of the case study identifies some of the attendant challenges and opportunities. Henry Ramos, DPP's leader, and I really want the document to be a conversational piece, a way to gain feedback from people and to inspire action.
Q: What were some of the major findings or observations in the study?
Paul: The case study doesn't present findings, per se, but observations. The document is full of examples, and they’re grouped into four sections: how foundations are communicating their diversity work through mainstream and diverse media, websites and new media, in-person strategies, and partnerships. From these, readers are free to draw their own conclusions; in fact, we invite them to do so.
Some trends we found are that the communication process works best when it's interactive, when foundations gain buy in from communities themselves, and foundations can leverage more support for their work and that of their grantees when they become visible advocates. Of course, being visible requires a real commitment; foundations often prefer to operate in the background as silent partners of their grantees. But the value of foundation support grows in proportion to the ability to leverage it. When foundations help shine a spotlight on their grantees, it can draw other supporters and participants to a cause.
Q: Was there anything that surprised you while you were doing your research?
Paul: Yes, in fact my research in advance of the interviews was most surprising. For instance, a google search reveals a number of websites with diversity and inclusiveness information, but little of it relates to actually communicating the information. In the wake of the Greenlining Institute's findings about the need for more grantmaking to organizations led by communities of color, I think philanthropy should want to facilitate communication about its work. A lot of good work is happening, but we're often not hearing about it. Let's find out who's communicating well and how we can help others do the same with a best practices platform or a forum where we can share and spread ideas.
There are also very few clearinghouses of information, whether this relates to communicating about diversity and inclusiveness work or engaging in the work itself. You'll discover a few resources here, a study there. The dissemination of information is piecemeal. Collecting any kind of comprehensive detail about the work is challenging indeed! I, for one, would really like to see the emergence of one or more centralized clearinghouses—one-stop shops to learn what's happening across the field. In fact, I'm even considering starting one on my own personal website.
Q: You mentioned that new media was an opportunity to democratize public discourse. In the philanthropy world, we have not seen many large foundations adopt Web 2.0 strategies. What are your thoughts on why this is?
Paul: Web 2.0 and, especially, social media offer such ready-made vehicles for philanthropy that I can't believe we lag behind the business and corporate sector in adopting them. There is almost no cost to install a blog on a foundation's or nonprofit's website or to create a twitter account. The process is easy enough that almost anyone can do it. This levels the playing field. You, your grantees, your target population, and the general public can interact as equals on a variety of platforms. For those of us looking for an easy way to connect with the community, this is it!
The foundations in the study have been finding that diversity and inclusiveness work is more successful when it engages community members. Social media provides a lot of options to cultivate relationships and create opportunities for engagement. You can post videos on YouTube or your website, chat with volunteers or grantees on facebook, or write bi-weekly entries about your latest grantmaking ideas on your blog. This builds a sense of community, a motivation to become more involved in the priorities you're trying to advance. Businesses have the extra hurdle of motivating users to buy a product, but philanthropy doesn't.
Web 2.0 and social media were effective tools for foundations in the case study. Mott, for instance, devotes areas of its website to diversity grantees where users can access videos, podcasts, newsclips, and other resources related to grantees' work. Mott sponsored a play about Apartheid in South Africa that even includes links to museum pieces on the subject and records of international performances. Packard has a wiki with threads that generate feedback from grantees and the public about the direction of its work with communities of color. The Denver Foundation has dedicated an entire website to diversity and inclusiveness—www.nonprofitinclusiveness.org—that even provides a handbook for organizations looking to become more inclusive. One of the easiest steps for foundations to communicate their work more effectively is to invest in web 2.0 and social media.
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To download the case study, please visit: How Are Foundations Communicating Their Work on Diversity?
Paul Bachleitner is a communication, marketing, and development consultant currently based in New York City. Paul has nearly 10 years of experience in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, including posts at The Minneapolis Foundation as a development associate and as a director of grantwriting, fundraising, and communications activities for two Minneapolis-area nonprofits. His consulting for Diversity in Philanthropy Project has helped produce a case study that examines how foundations, such as Ford and C.S. Mott, communicate their work on diversity, as well as other communications designed to increase philanthropy’s inclusiveness. His other recent clients include Open Society Institute, the Ford Foundation, and the Marginalized Males Funders Group, for which he serves as the current managing editor of an e-news publication that targets issues related to males of color throughout the nation. Paul also graduated Cum Laude from Harvard University with a B.A. degree in psychology. For more about Paul, please see his website atwww.bachwriter.com, and you can contact him at paul@bachwriter.com.
