The organization I lead, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), was founded 50 years ago in part out of a frustration that a blue-ribbon commission was missing half the story as it explored the question of how philanthropy can best benefit society. The Commission on Philanthropy and Public Needs, better known as the Filer Commission, kept calling for testimony from wealthy donors and the people who ran the philanthropies of those wealthy donors. NCRP’s founders knew that good philanthropy was a partnership between the donors and the donees. They banded together to force the Filer Commission to listen to the voices of nonprofits that served and represented Americans who had been left out or marginalized in some way.
Fifty years later, we still have far too many powerful people who don’t take the time to really, deeply listen to community. Some do, for sure, and we’ve made real progress. But in this time of crisis for our nation, it is imperative that we turn up the volume on our listening.
If the philanthropy you are associated with is not yet listening deeply to the communities you are seeking to serve, you should start now. Here are a few reasons why:
If the philanthropy you are associated with is not yet listening deeply to the communities you are seeking to serve, you should start now.
Listening increases the effectiveness of your philanthropic efforts.
If you care about getting results, listening to community is essential.
Those most impacted almost always have the answers. Too often philanthropy defaults to “analysis paralysis” when it comes to what our communities need the most. We saw this in the lead up to the 2022 Supreme Court decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which essentially overturned Roe v. Wade. For decades, reproductive justice organizers warned that Roe was insufficient. For years, community organizers and movement leaders were yelling at philanthropy that they were missing abortion access and protection within their women and girls, reproductive justice, and health equity funding strategies. Funding for national and state abortion funds followed the 2022 ruling, but this reactive giving was too late for many on the ground. Many abortion providers closed in the wake of the Dobbs decision. Funders were forced to stop taking requests under the weight of increased demand. If more funders were listening to the community of reproductive justice activists and abortion care experts, these organizations could have weathered the crisis.
Listening builds longstanding relationships that make it possible to mobilize. Grand Victoria Foundation, 2025 NCRP Impact Awardee, did just this following the racial justice protests in 2020. President Sharon Bush led her staff and board through a multi-year process of learning and action. This included traveling throughout Illinois to learn from community members about their experiences and challenges. This journey culminated in the redefinition of the foundation’s vision. In 2022, the Grand Victoria Foundation launched a new vision that prioritizes community power-building and supporting organizations that are deeply embedded in and accountable to Black communities. This approach has “enabled communities most affected by structural inequities to develop, sustain, and expand an organized base. These organizations work together to shape agendas, shift public discourse, influence decision-makers.”
Listening provides cover in times of polarization.
Has your foundation ever considered funding something and then backed away because you or others thought it might be too controversial or might draw unwanted attention?
By first listening to community and using those insights to build a strategy, it’s harder for others to paint your philanthropy as biased, dangerous or out-of-touch. For example, funders supporting communities that have been inundated with ICE enforcement may decide to fund some grassroots organizations that provide mutual aid to neighbors and organize efforts to hold ICE accountable. This rapid response could be painted as partisan, but deep, authentic listening to community mitigates that risk. If you’re listening deeply to the community and the community is telling you that kind of funding is what it needs, you have some cover. Those with opposing views will likely still attack you, but their attacks are less likely to stick if your foundation is in deep relationship with the community.
Listening strengthens legitimacy for our entire sector.
Should the already wealthy and powerful be able to use philanthropy to exert even more power over how society works? An increasing number of people are recognizing that this power imbalance creates a crisis of legitimacy for the entire philanthropic sector.
The answer is to do better by the communities we aim to serve by sharing our power.
By listening to and sharing power with communities that have historically been excluded, the philanthropic enterprise is more legitimate in the eyes of the general public and of many elected officials. Donors, trustees and staff of foundations are stewards of dollars that have been exempted from almost all taxation. That’s public money, meant to be used for the public good. When foundations guess at what may be best instead of engaging in active, meaningful listening, those funds are ineffective at best. At worst, that funding is actively harmful and undermines the relationship between you and your community.
We all entered into the philanthopic sector to do good. But just like NCRP’s founders said 50 years ago, good intentions can’t become good work if they get lost in the echo chamber of your foundation. To be effective, responsive, and trustworthy, you must listen to your community.
Aaron Dorfman
President & CEO, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
