Authenticity & The New Philanthropy: The Role of Equity in Fundraising Campaign Communications

Audacious fundraising campaigns regularly rely on donors with long histories of philanthropic support. Those audiences are often accustomed to appeals and acknowledgements rooted in outdated practices that reinforce the harmful idea of donor saviorism. From communications that victimize communities, to naming rights that celebrate questionable generational wealth and “honorable citizens,” there’s so much wrong with what’s considered best practices for a typical fundraising campaign.

You know this narrative and these practices need to change. But how can you do that in a way that invites and inspires legacy donors you need? How can you shift dated perceptions to invite new donors in? What are the implications for how you build your fundraising strategy and communications?

This session features Mission Minded Partner Sarah Moore and Rehana Abbas from The San Francisco Foundation. Rehana stewarded the Foundation’s fundraising communications as they harnessed their growing leadership in racial equity and economic inclusion throughout the region. They needed a bold fundraising communications strategy that brought long-time legacy donors on this evolutionary journey while simultaneously compelling new donors to re-examine the Foundation. The result? Donors who now see themselves as supporting collective change and shared power.