Category Archives: Responsibility

Not Easier, but More Exciting

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[EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to a technical glitch, this is posting a week after it was written]

By: Julia Stricklin

We are now in the middle of the semester, and entering the time period when our job gets real. Up to this point, we have been speaking in theoretical terms and studying broad ideas. Yes, we have discussed their applications to this class, but now we are working with real life projects that can and will make an impact on this community. Which is a big thing to step back and think about. At only 19, 20, 21 years old, we have the power to make change in our community. And boy, are we eager to do so.

We had our first Board Meeting yesterday; an informal, but very informative, meeting of our class where we presented the organizations and projects we have chosen to move forward with from Pitch Day. The decisions behind this were by no means easy – most of our groups cut their prospective grantee pool nearly in half, from about eight organizations per group on Pitch Day to four or five organizations each group will pay a visit to. A common theme around this decision was “it’s not that we don’t like ABC organization, just that we’re more excited about the project we could work on with XYZ.” Excitement was indeed in the air during our board meeting. Each group that presented was only allotted 25 minutes to present and discuss with the class, and I know everyone would have gladly gone over their limit if they could have. There are so many things happening in so many different areas in the social sector of Waco, and we probably could have spent at least another day telling each other about what we had found, the organizations we were moving forward with, and the extra time and money we wish we had in order to pursue all of the possibilities presented to us.

Perhaps the most significant thing to reflect upon now is the position we, as a class, are in. Andy brought it to our attention that our group of seventeen – 15 students, one graduate assistant, and one professor – now know more about the broad reaches of the social sector in Waco than anyone else. We have a unique “bird’s eye” perspective on everything going on in Waco due to our wide range of interests we’ve investigated. Now, not only do we have the money and motivation to create change in Waco, but an excellent vantage point from which to do so. We have the ability to think about collaborative grants, to pass an organization one group may have met with on to another group whose interests better align with that organization. Personally, I’m very excited to see what we can do to bring our interests together.

In the next week and half, we will be making our site visits. Everyone is very eager to move into this stage of the semester and get an inside view of organizations we’ve been looking into. I think the title of this post best sums up the kind of work we are beginning to do: not easier, but more exciting. It will not be easy to tackle wicked problems head-on, but we are excited to dive in. It will not be easy to narrow down our choice of projects, but we are excited to get closer with the organizations we will ultimately give a grant to.

Stay tuned for more updates and news about our on-site visits!

“Bringin’ Sexy Back”

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By Andrew Mackenzie, BA 2018

We call ourselves the “Justice League.” The name suits our attitude towards the focus of our philanthropy (and our characteristic melodrama). As a group of aspiring lawyers/moral philosophers, we consider access to justice to be of the most serious importance. To require that an individual be given their due, regardless of circumstance, is to affirm their humanity; to exercise a right is an expression of dignity. To ensure justice for those who have had their dignity obscured in their own eyes through poverty, abuse, discrimination, or disregard is even more important. It is a reminder that dignity is immutable, that to be a human being is to be imageo Dei.

I was surprised, therefore, to learn that we are the first group to concentrate on justice initiatives since the Philanthropy Lab came to Baylor. After spending some time in the philanthropic universe, we discovered that foundations and individual philanthropists often look to invest their resources in projects. Not just any projects, mind you, but fashionable projects. Sexy projects. This is all fine and good; I do not intend to use this space to critique the innovator or the marketer. However, we must remember that in order for new ideas to be tried, we can not neglect the basics. It would be irresponsible to build a skylight without first tending to the leaky roof.

My Church is currently in the process of doing repairs, or, as my pastor likes to say, “doin’ maintenance.” One aspect of tending to the basics is covering overhead. Keeping the lights on isn’t sexy, but neither is working in the dark. We have to take care of our utilities before we can utilize our creativity. Again, though, paying the bills is not the subject of this post.

Many of the organizations that we encounter focus on helping people recover from injustice. We have spoken with many passionate people who help victims of injustices ranging from institutional violences such as economic and social discrimination to criminal violences such as domestic abuse. These organizations measure their success by the number of people whose lives they are able to help get back on track, and they can rightly take pride in their numbers.

However, an even greater success would be measured by the injustices that never occur. It would be measured by tenants who are never manipulated by their landlords, because parties to the contract have a firm grasp on their legal rights and responsibilities. It would be measured by the immigrant who is never harassed or taken advantage of, because he has access to legal representation and guidance on the naturalization process. It would be measured by the job applicant who is never denied an interview because he couldn’t figure out how to expunge his criminal record or renew his driver’s license ID.

But this kind of success isn’t measured, it can’t be. It is unseen, constituted not by victims, but by the everyday citizen quietly living out the dignity of their own humanity. Such success is not fashionable, it is not even seen. But, in the profound words of Walter Mitty, beautiful things don’t ask for attention.

“The Arc of the Moral Universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” -MLKJ

The Excitement of Site Visits

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By: Savannah Newman, BBA 2017

[Editor’s note: Due to a logistical error, this is posting a few days after it was written]

Tomorrow we begin our site visits to the top organizations that our group envisions giving our grants to. During these site visits, our group plans to get vital answers to lingering questions we have about the organizations and the projects they are asking for us to help fund. I am excited about both getting to see these organizations in their home environment, as well as getting to have longer conversations about what they see this money going towards. Each one of the organizations that my group will be visiting has a unique personality, and I am eager to see how each individual organization interacts with us on their home turf.

Just last night, I was asked by a family friend about my class schedule this semester and which of my classes were my favorite. Without hesitation, I said this Philanthropy and the Public Good. There are many reasons that I have loved this class and what we have been doing this semester, but I think the number one reason has been the autonomy over where we want the grant money to go. I feel empowered as a college student to be able to go into meetings with these lifetime non-profit practitioners and have “real life” conversations about where we are possibly going to give real money. This process is real life not a simulation. Alongside the feeling of empowerment, is a sense of duty. I know that these are organizations that are doing good work in the world and my time, energy, and focus this semester has the potential to help these organizations further their missions and to reach their goal.

So, I go into this upcoming week with excitement but also the knowledge that the decisions from this point on are just going to get harder and less black and white. The easy decisions are long gone and the “right” choice is not as clear. This week will be a lot of fun, learning more about each organization and the amazing things that they are all doing in the Waco community, and at the end of it there will be really hard decisions to make moving forward. I am learning though, that this is what choices in the non-profit sector look like. There are so many great organizations that are all doing great things but there is only so much money to go around. I would even say this is decision making for any organization both public and private as well, but this is the part that I have loved about this class. I have loved that the students are the ones getting to figure out what is the right choice through their own discernment.

I look forward to this upcoming week and the things we will be learning and the decisions we will be making knowing we are one step closer to getting to put money in the hands of these organizations.

Character Matters

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By: Clara Binder, BS 2017

Doing philanthropy well requires much of us. If this course were simply reading about philanthropy or researching wicked problems, perhaps a person could escape without giving much. In the realm of the theoretical, the choice is ours whether we invest ourselves in these ideas and think carefully about them. Researching and paper-writing do not necessarily require significant investment of self.

Now, though, we have moved out of the realm of the theoretical and must start making decisions: which organizations do we most want to support? (Alternatively, which organizations would not be as good a use of the grant money given to us?) We have logic models and carefully-chosen readings to support us in the process, but even these cannot carry us through. What matters in these conversations is not just the knowledge we have but the persons we are.

We need wisdom and the ability to communicate. We recognize that this course offers us the choice between many good options; this makes it more difficult to discern the best of these. Wisdom here looks like viewing our initial preferences through the lenses of the resources that we have in the readings and in those around us. My initial preferences – gut instincts, perhaps – have been developed through my own experiences and knowledge, and they may not match those of the other members of my group. We all, then, need the ability to state not just which choice we believe is better but also the ability to articulate why we believe this.

This wisdom requires humility. A firm belief in my own intelligence and superiority has no place here; rather, careful listening will allow us as a group to come to understanding and agreement, sharing our own resources of experience and knowledge with one another as we make decisions. Additionally, we need humility as we interact with the organizations we are considering for a grant: there is so much about Waco, about the work of a social sector organization, and about people in general that I do not know, and a willingness to learn from these organizations and from one another is vital.

We need patience here. This process is long, and it is challenging. With so much we do not know, we struggle to communicate clearly with one another and with social sector organizations. Often the questions we ask do not provide us with the answers we most desire. Sometimes our very ignorance keeps us both from understanding an answer and from understanding that we do not understand. Making wise decisions and communicating clearly through it all is a challenge.

Which is why we need commitment. If this were just about a class, perhaps it would not matter so much. We could be content with a decent decision and move on with our college experience. But this is not just a class; this is about the place where we live and the people who live in it. The understanding that this is so much greater than us compels us to see this experiment in philanthropy through to the end, and it demands that we be people of character – wise, humble, patient, and committed – who give our best.

Process of Illumination

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By: Justin Pittman, BBA 2017

While learning about eight wonderful nonprofit organizations recently, it was easy to get carried away in imagining endless possibilities for philanthropy with all of them. Each project we were presented with had merit and contributed towards causes my team and I believed were important and compelling. Every individual we met spoke directly from the heart, conveying a captivating passion for their work, the city of Waco, and humanity in general. Regardless of the manner in which each organization I heard from chooses to bring about positive change in Waco, I am sincerely impressed with all of them and saw direct links between the money we could potentially contribute and the benefits the organization and Waco at large would receive.

Last Thursday, however, reality struck. $50,000 is a great deal of money, but it’s not nearly enough to fulfill all the funding needs that the nonprofits we have corresponded with are requesting. Although the trees that adorn our campus are quite lovely, money certainly doesn’t grow on them. Therefore, we have begun the process of moving from receptiveness to all the options presented to us towards considering how to allocate our resources as strategically and mindfully as possible. This involves making some difficult decisions in order to narrow our list of possible organizations with the eventual goal of making sizable impacts on each organization we end up giving to.

With every organization being perfectly worthy of grants to support their mission, how are these decisions supposed to be made? After all, we are all newcomers to grantmaking and don’t have experience with weighing criteria between different grant proposals. What we do have to offer is a group consensus of how we’re hoping to transform Waco through our monetary gifts. Because we were given ample opportunities for self-examination of our values and beliefs from the beginning, we all entered this process with a solid sense of personal identity. I was fortunate enough to be placed in a team in which it was immediately apparent what our mutual areas of interest were. By examining how well each organization’s ambitions align with my team’s collective vision, the screening process we used to shrink our list of potential grant recipients was much less painful than I anticipated.

An exciting development took place towards the end of Thursday’s session when three of our class’s four teams, including my own, discovered we all had mutual interest in the same organization. It was amazing seeing the classroom suddenly transform from four isolated pods into two groups, one large and one small. Before we even knew what hit us, the money on the table tripled from $10,000 in each group to $30,000. However, I know this may come at a price. With each team possessing their own set of philanthropic goals, the distribution of my team’s funds would no longer exclusively be in our hands if we decide to pursue this. If my team does undertake the opportunity to collaborate with other teams, we will need to ensure that our priorities are reflected in the grant that is written alongside the other teams’ priorities in an equitable fashion.

As we continue moving towards the ultimate goal of granting real money to deserving organizations, I hope to confront challenging decisions not as a roadblock to be overcome but as a passageway into better opportunities. Choosing from a pool of qualified organizations isn’t easy, but we’re already starting to generate new ideas for giving that weren’t visible to us when the range of possibilities was so expansive. Because of this, I think the next few weeks will feel less like an excruciating process of elimination and more like a process of illumination that sparks our creativity and leads us towards using our gifts as wisely and effectively as possible.

To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required

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Amy Adams BBA 2018

They say that to whom much is given, much is required. I have heard this my whole life, but I assumed that what was required was just generosity in monetary giving. What I never knew and didn’t expect was just how much truly goes in to making philanthropy effective.

In the past, my efforts have mainly been limited to volunteerism a couple of times a week. I love doing this, however as a business major I have felt that there must be an even better way to help people that uses both my time and talents. Through the philanthropy lab, we have learned about strategic giving and how it is an art form to be able to give not only generously, but also tactfully in a way that maximizes limited resources. I have enjoyed seeing how this class combines my time and talents to make philanthropy more effective through planning and strategizing.

One thing we did recently was called “Pitch Day,” during which we have a brief amount of time to interview representatives from up to eight philanthropic organizations. As the different representatives discussed their organizations and the hope they have for the grants, I was able to see how much they put in to philanthropy, as well. These people were passionate about helping; so much that they had made sacrifices of themselves in order to do what they felt was needed in the community. Some had left other jobs or put careers on hold; some had started from the ground, creating a new organization where they saw a need; some had come out of retirement when called on to serve; and some were still students that sought out a way to help other students however possible. It blew me away the amount of passion, talent, intelligence, and drive we saw in only a couple hours of interviewing. Additionally, these people were only representatives of larger organizations that were backed by sometimes hundreds more employees and volunteers that held the same devotion to the organization and the good that they aimed to do.

It has continued to open my eyes to how much is put into doing philanthropy well as we have debriefed from Pitch Day. As we collaborated and discussed, I saw how even within our class there had been so much effort and research put in. However, none of us could have done all of this and sufficiently represented all of these organizations on our own. It took the efforts of the whole class to truly get a picture of what all is going on in the philanthropic sector of our community. Each of us had invested ourselves in deeply in learning about just a few organizations, but by our work we were able to contribute to a larger idea of what options we had and how we could best use our resources. We still have not reached decisions– in fact we have merely presented options– but it is intriguing to evaluate the broadness and diversity of the not for profit sector.

Aristotle once said, “To give away money is an easy matter and in any man’s power. But to decide to whom to give it and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every man’s power nor an easy matter.” I think the truth of these words becomes more evident every day as we continue working towards deciding how to give out our grants. It takes a lot of time, talent, diligence, and collaboration, but we know that all the effort and anticipation make will it all the more meaningful, because for us, given much, this is what is required.

With Great Power…

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By Rebecca Voth, BA 2018

Now that we have met with several organizations, we have been assigned the difficult task of choosing between which projects and organizations we will fund. After meeting with the organization representatives and hearing about their passions and concerns in their field, it has finally hit me the weight of responsibility that we carry. Our decision is not simply concerned with our own learning but it also has the potential to impact an organization and those it serves long into the future. The problem with giving away money is that that same money will not be given to another organization doing equally admirable work. I have been learning so far that we have been tasked with a decision that is laden with responsibility, and that the choice we make is between several different goods requires a unique set of evaluation standards.

 

The responsibility with which we have been tasked does not escape me as one that is heavy with responsibility. Not only are we held responsible to the class and the foundation that is providing us with funds, we are also responsible to the organizations from which we are choosing. Each organization trusts us to make the decision that we think will be best and align most with our goals. We have limited funds to offer, and I never imagined five figures could be a small amount of money until meeting with each organization and hearing about their needs. Every dollar that we give to one organization is a dollar that we cannot give to another organization with equally worthwhile goals and legitimate needs. When we ask the organizations what they need and they respond with figures in the low thousands, expenses add up quickly and our capacity is easily surpassed. This brings us to a difficult point of decision-making that must be evaluated by a unique set of criteria.

 

In a normal decision making process, it would be simple to choose the best option. At first, I imagined we would simply evaluate the merits of each proposal and choose the best one. However, this process is much more complex than that. We have before us several “best” options. It is impossible to evaluate each grant request as better or worse than another. Instead, we must find another standard by which to evaluate. One of our readings from The Insider’s Guide to Grantmaking focuses on this problem. It gives us a classification system to categorize the grants and ideas we have heard presented. It classified grants based on the quality of idea for which the grant is purposed, and quality of the proposal as a means to achievement of the goal. While all the proposals and ideas are good and are aimed at worthy causes, this guideline can help us to determine which grants align with our goals for seeking justice for those who lack access to the justice system, and do so in a manner that maximizes efficiency and effectiveness.

 

The opportunity and power we have been gifted with places upon us the responsibility to be good stewards of the resources we have. By the grace and wisdom of God, we will use this opportunity to learn to faithfully and humbly steward the gifts with which we are blessed.

Atmosphere of Authenticity

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Matt Wilborn, BBA 2017
There seems to be a potential power struggle in that philanthropy, often, is composed of those who have money and those that need money. It also seems that the number of groups that are seeking funding continue to grow, which is a great thing. Yet at what cost are organizations willing to pursue funding. Is the process of trying to portray the best aspects of an organization presenting the organization in a way that is far from reality? What is the balance between seeking funding so that the organization can continue to serve those in need, while also being honest about the struggles faced in day to day operations? The balance occurs when grantmaker and grantee approach a problem together. Problems are solved when the grantee is willing to admit there are sometimes problems or difficulties. Problems only get solved when the grantee is more concerned with the problem rather than appearing like the perfect organization. However, it is not only about how the grantee presents itself, but also in the way the grantmaker is willing foster an atmosphere of authenticity. The grantmaker must realize that the organization is not perfect and will have struggles. If the grant maker is willing to come alongside the grantee, rather than pull support at the first sign of struggle, then issues are  more likely be resolved because everyone will be operating on the same playing field. There is a temptation for the grantmakers to exploit power dynamics between the grantmaker and the grantee. The politics further escalate and the solution is further delayed. As grantmakers, we need to be careful about how we ask about how funds will be allocated. There is a place for questions about metrics and a place to ask about results. Yet as grantmakers we are only able to ask those questions when viewing the organization not as another piece of data, but as real people trying to solve real problems. As we enter this time of learning about lots of different organizations, we as a class need to honor their experience in the field.

This coming Tuesday as a class we will have the chance to learn from the heads of a number of organizations. It is my hope that we will remember that that we have been blessed with these funds to be a blessing to others. It is my hope that this process would continue to teach our class that both grantmakers and grantees are ultimately after the same goals. It is my hope that we would approach Tuesday with a desire to learn and a desire to create an atmosphere of authenticity between ourselves and the grantees.

Digging Deeper

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By: Kristen Hendrickson, BBA 2017

There has recently been a shift in our focus for this class. So far this semester, as previous blog posts have reflected, we have been discussing philanthropy, what is important to us, what it means to be a philanthropist, etc. However, lately we have begun to dig deeper into more specific issues that our society is facing today, in order to learn more about what is really going on in the world – an attempt at understanding the issues before we take action.

Something that we discussed in class, which really stuck with me, was how all too often good intentions can lead to harmful outcomes. This can occur because those who are giving do not fully understand the issue or context in which they are giving, and cannot foresee potential problems that their gift could cause. This is a scary thought, because the last thing that my classmates and I want to do is more harm than good. As an example, one of my classmates shared a story of a tractor that was stuck, abandoned in a farm field in another country. The tractor had been donated by Americans with pure intentions, hoping to make farming much more efficient and easier for those who farmed that field. However, when something went wrong and the tractor broke down, there was no one around that could fix it and the parts needed to fix it were not accessible. Thus, the tractor became an extremely heavy, unmovable fixture in the middle of the field, just taking up precious land. We desire more than anything that our gifts will not be tractors taking up land, but something that can have a lasting and proliferating impact for years to come.

It is our duty and responsibility to do our research, to figure out what the issues actually are and to try to understand as best we can what would really help those who are living through the issues. We are now grouped into teams to focus on certain areas, and my team is starting with a broad focus on children in arts and culture, education, and poverty. I have personally been mainly researching poverty – poverty in the United States, in Texas, and in Waco. We have been amazed to see the intricate ways in which all of these areas are intertwined. We believe that poverty can have direct impacts on any of those categories, and we hope to see the bigger picture of these issues.

It is really interesting to see how many different ways that poverty can be defined. Some define it by the federal poverty line, some by 200% above the federal poverty line, others by the average lifespan of a community, and others by child poverty. By any definition, it is clear that some in Waco are hurting. I am so excited to continue working with my group throughout the semester to build a strong foundation of understanding and to make as strategic, thoughtful decisions as we can about how to use the resources we have to give. This is an incredible and unique opportunity, and I have a feeling it is going to change the way I give and encourage others to give for the rest of my life.

Golf, Stew, and Apollo 13

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By: J. Andrew Mackenzie, BA University Scholar

If anyone has yet to accept that the United States is a place of radical pluralism – a label applied to those societies with diversity of culture, race, and moral/normative worldview – they need look no further than the U.S. tax code. As the readers of this blog will know, 501(c)3 is a number of coveted significance to many of our most prominent institutions. This includes our colleges and universities (sic’em Bears), hospitals, churches and charities, museums, social clubs, veteran organizations, ect, ect. To make the point, the United States gives the same “charitable” recognition to the golf course as it does the Salvation Army.

If you think this absurd, you are not alone. What should we say of a country that gives the same tax benefits to an international emergency relief organization as they do the local golf club? For anyone who has ever been persecuted for their belief about what counts as good, one answer seems appropriate.

God bless America.

As a country, our diversity has become a mark of pride. But we are not, as many like to say, a melting pot. The metaphor of the melting pot implies that a heterogeneous society is becoming more homogeneous, the different elements “melting together” into a common culture. This, to be sure, has happened to some degree, but not to the effect that we have become homogenized. Rather, the distinctive elements remain distinctive, with the effect of enriching the entire stew. Our diversity is our strength so long as we can draw the best out of each other. In order to do so, we must acknowledge and respect our differences, while not losing site of our common humanity. It is not “from many to one,” but y pluribus unum, “out of many one,” that we have inscribed on the rotunda of our Capitol.

What does all of this talk of golf and stew have to do with philanthropy? In order for a society that lacks commonality to thrive, it must hold to a common conception of human dignity, agency and creativity. It must respect the ability of the individual to seek his or her own vision of the good. Without this common conception, the differences of pluralism outlined above will inevitably lead to an ideological power struggle. If the stew has to pick a flavor and stick with it, most will prefer his own. If someone gets to decide what constitutes the good life for everyone, everyone will want to be that someone. I would.

And so, our state gives no official bounds to philanthropic giving. One can spend their millions fighting world hunger, or creating an island filled with cloned dinosaurs. Our government will not stop you (though those with any exposure to the world of sci-fi may try).

As a student of political philosophy, I find this idea to be as profoundly patriotic as Apollo 13 and the West Wing. As a novice philanthropist, I find it daunting and humbling. We must – guided only by the light of our conscience and our faith – use the gift that has been entrusted to us well. If the government were to ordain the good and set it before us, our job would be easy. But then, the love of a man should come from within.

“To give away money is an easy matter, and in any [person’s] power. But to decide to whom to give it, and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every [person’s] power, nor an easy matter. Hence it is that such excellence is rare, praiseworthy, and noble.”

–Aristotle