There is an ongoing reckoning for top-down philanthropy. Yet, giving season guides and “charity navigator” recommendations still embrace problematic “gold standard” giving formulas to make recommendations. These formulas lack a critical indicator — humans. How much power should you assign to people: a people-power indicator? A lot. People shifting (or at least sharing) decision-making power around giving with those most systematically excluded from it is arguably our greatest opportunity to create change. And it’s currently missing from the commonly understood models of giving.

Is this our opening? The world seems to be looking for an alternative. We, in the Participatory Grantmakers (PGM) Community, know that participatory and community-driven giving practices are not new. But many (especially those in a position to give) are not aware. Yes, some ignore these alternatives to simply hold onto power, but not all. This might be our chance to set a new trajectory — for what, why, and how giving works.

Interestingly, the generosity and justice giving movements both recognize a common truth — those most frequently in a position to give are often least likely to understand what is most needed. The difference lies in our attempts to “solve” this problem. Few in the PGM community would claim that participatory philanthropy will save us. Many of us recognize that flipping the dynamic to ensure that those most impacted are deciding (or at least participating in) how resources are spent, won’t solve all things. However, we do know that sanitized giving formulas and top-down approaches are not solving root causes of harm and are instead limiting and likely hurting our ability to make long lasting fundamental change.

Can we use our collective power to make it as easy for people in a position to donate to seek participatory and community-driven funds instead? Can we do this without diluting the practice? Can we collectively make it easier to move money differently now, while also doing the harder work of reimagining, dismantling and reassembling what it takes to create change?

Read the full article about participatory grantmaking by Emily Sullivan at Medium.