Community-Centric Fundraising

Mission

Community-Centric Fundraising is a movement to evolve how fundraising is done in the nonprofit sector. Its goal is to support fundraisers and other nonprofit professionals to re-examine every fundraising philosophy and practice they have been taught, engage in vigorous ongoing conversations, and explore doing fundraising in ways that reduce harm and further social justice.

We are deliberately forming a movement, not an organization. As explained in this article by Hildy Gottlieb of Creating the Future:

“Movements define success globally.”
We hope to see changes in how fundraising is done across the entire sector, all over the world.

“Movements seek sweeping change.”
We hope to see every nonprofit professional, funder, and donor take actions.

“Movement begins with values.”
Fundraising has been grounded in values of donor appeasement and nonprofit survival. The CCF movement grounds fundraising in values of equity and social justice.

“Leadership of a movement is distributed and agile, not hierarchical.”
This group in Seattle has been meeting and discussing this topic since 2018, but that does not mean we have all the answers. You, as part of this movement, play a major part in shaping it.

“Movements are supported from the inside out.”
CCF centers the voices and lived-experiences of people and communities of color. We welcome allies, but will prioritize those who are most affected by systemic injustice.

“Movements adopt structures and systems that mirror how societies progress toward people living well together.”
Even as we grow this movement, we must be conscientious of how we go about doing it in order to not replicate the systems of oppression we are steeped in.

You are a major part of this movement. Engage with folks in your networks. Have conversations. Try new things. Write about what you are experience and learning in our hub. Form a Community-Centric Fundraising chapter where you live, if it makes sense. Let’s reimagine and reshape how fundraising can and should be done!

Organization Information