What we know for sure

Yet while the conversation was planned, the election results were beyond any of our expectations. So instead of sticking to the agenda, we spent the better part of our time together making meaning of what had occurred the night before. We talked together about everything from Facebook analytics and the limitations of polls, to the challenges of forging new alliances, echo chambers, and the power and limitations of philanthropy.

In the many months since then, I’ve found myself in many similar conversations with different groups of colleagues and community partners. Working in a health conversion foundation in a small urban setting in largely rural Northeast Pennsylvania, the conversation can play out very differently depending on who’s around the table. I’ve found it a particularly important reminder when I sit across from others who look toward the next four years with as much optimism as I do angst.

GEO’s community is now approaching 600 members. As we thoughtfully consider how to serve and catalyze this diverse network, we must appreciate the many different organizations seated at our table. This year we are also in the process of setting a strategic plan for the next three years. It feels like the most opportune time and the most challenging time to do so. Our context is rapidly changing and promises to continue to shift dramatically in the coming months. In the face of this we are challenged to be both nimble and clearly focused on what matters most.

Oprah Winfrey ends every issue of her O Magazine with a statement on what she knows for sure. It’s my favorite part of the magazine. Regardless of each issue’s theme, she shares salient, timeless truths that act as guideposts for faithful readers. As we plot our path forward and the clarify roles and contributions GEO is uniquely positioned to take at this time of high stakes, great uncertainty and shifting circumstances, I found it grounding to reflect on what we know to be true.

We know for sure:

• Helping funders work better together optimizes finite resources. It remains uncertain how priorities for public dollars will shift in the new federal administration, but there have been many signals that support may shift away from key safety net services and programs many of our communities rely upon. While philanthropic resources are insufficient to replace public funds, private funders must work in concert with one another to strategize responses, coordinate investments and align priorities to best meet oncoming challenges.
• Encouraging funders to stay in dialogue with their nonprofit partners provides critical insight. Ideally funders are in ongoing conversations with their nonprofit partners beyond the grantmaking process. However, during times of change these relationships sharpen funders’ awareness of shifting community challenges and dynamics. We know our nonprofit partners see first-hand how the lives of the people they serve are impacted by broader decisions made at federal and state levels. Staying in dialogue with them helps us to our responses are timely, effective and on target.
• Prioritizing general operating support helps nonprofits act nimbly, swiftly and take risks. During times of great change, our nonprofit partners need the space and resources to respond proactively and think creatively about to best meet the needs of the vulnerable people they serve. As new opportunities and emerging concerns surface, nonprofits with organizational slack have the freedom to expand their reach without disrupting core services. Funders are wise to ensure these organizations are well-equipped to shift quickly as needs dictate.

  But what I know for sure is that these keys to effective grantmaking — grantmaking that produces strong nonprofit results — endure in part because they are our strongest way forward.

  LaTida Smith, president and CEO of Moses Taylor Foundation and GEO board chair

• Making the case for building advocacy capacity creates pathways to shape how public funds are utilized. Some funders are hesitant to fund public policy in general, either out of lack of understanding of IRS restrictions or concern that impact is difficult to define. However, as new legislative agendas are being developed, nonprofits that are well-versed in legislative processes with key relationships with policymakers are well-positioned to help shape policy and educate the public on the impact of policy decisions.
  
• Keeping the stories of the people we serve at the forefront raises the stakes for our work. We know that underneath the headlines regarding Planned Parenthood, Meals on Wheels and even the SHINE Program in my nearby Luzerne County are stories of real people. Frequently our nonprofit partners lack the resources or expertise to tell stories that communicate the complexities of their work with clarity and specificity. These are the stories the need to be told in our board rooms, newspapers and town hall meetings. Stories that build public will, embolden policy makers, expand empathy and understanding.

These refrains echoed in our conversation the morning after the election. They are reminders I’ve frequently returned to in conversations with my own board and staff, and local colleagues of all political persuasions in subsequent weeks. Regardless of what the next four years bring, I know these values will endure.

It strikes me that there’s nothing particularly new about these principles that resonate most during this time of uncertainty. They are the same principles GEO has highlighted from members since its founding almost 20 years ago. Often unprecedented circumstances seem to necessitate bigger or radically different strategies. But what I know for sure is that these keys to effective grantmaking — grantmaking that produces strong nonprofit results — endure in part because they are our strongest way forward. Allocating our time and our resources to these practices with intention is the best and highest use of philanthropy in times like these.

LaTida Smith (Board Chair)

President and CEO, Moses Taylor Foundation