Stewarding A Giving Relationship: A Spectrum Of Resources Part 3

Welcome to the 3rd and final post in the series! In the previous post we shared a spectrum of resources available in a giving relationship between a Cultural Organizer and a Donor and the important questions for both parties to ask themselves as they develop the giving relationship. In this post, we will explore how Cultural Organizers and Donors can relate to each other in ways that honors the humanity and desires of everyone involved.

Spectrum of Relationships

In addition to money, a Giving Relationship relies on establishing and stewarding a relationship, which is honestly a super power of Cultural Organizers! 

How would you like to engage in this relationship?

Like all relationships, there is a lot to navigate when starting a new giving relationship. Are you looking for the same things? Do your values align?  Do you require a relationship that you can be vulnerable with? Someone you can share wins and challenges with? Someone who sees you beyond your role as a cultural organizer or donor and instead as a whole person? Is it important for you to know each other personally? So many questions. 

All giving relationships will look different. The shape will depend on both the Cultural Organizers and Donors capacity and desire to engage. We like to think of this space of engagement as existing on a spectrum from No Engagement to High Engagement

No engagement may look like the donor just sends money, likely after an initial conversation but maybe with even less engagement, such as having attended an event, choosing to sign up as a Patreon/monthly donor and/or following the cultural organizer/artists on social media or via newsletters. The donor commits to staying moderately informed, and remains accountable for their moving money commitment – but that’s where the relationship basically ends. 

Initial Engagement There’s interest in the part of both the Cultural Organizer and the Donor in potentially initiating a relationship. This can come from having met at an event, being connected through other people in their community. It doesn’t assume that a relationship will form, but has aspirations. 

Low/Medium Engagement may look like having regular check-ins. A check-in is an opportunity for the cultural organizer/artists and donor to: 

• Get to know each other on a personal level (with boundaries of course!)

• Receive updates on project(s) or new opportunities (donors can share too within reason)

• Maintain the giving relationship, such as discussing any changes to money amounts or how the money is moved and/or if/how the relationship may evolve

These check-ins may occur annually or on a more frequent basis. Part of the relationship is defining together the frequency and format of these check-in conversations. 

High Engagement is when the Cultural Organizer/Artists and donor decide to become co-conspirators. The co-conspirator relationship is defined by:

• Having an trusting, authentic relationship between the Cultural Organizer/Artists and Donor with open and reflective communication

• Feeling deep values-alignment 

• Having accountability beyond moving money that asks the donor to mobilize other resources, such as connections, relationship, space, risk and power

• Donors showing up at the request of the Cultural Organizer/Donor

A final note on the topic of level of engagement for Cultural Organizers!! You do not have to fake a relationship in order to deserve resources. We repeat, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FAKE A RELATIONSHIP IN ORDER TO DESERVE RESOURCES. 

How would you like to acknowledge the donor’s support?

Gone are the days when (most) donors expect galas thrown in their honor as a sign of gratitude. Thankfully. Which means that you have the opportunity to reimagine how to offer gratitude in ways that are in alignment with your values. If 1 is “never acknowledge donors publicly/desire to remain anonymous”  and 10 is “shout your thanks from the rooftops”, where do you fall?

How would you like to share the impact of the resources?

This in many ways goes back to determining the “Level of Engagement”, and is also a place where the Cultural Organizer is the Guiding Agent in this relationship. The Cultural Organizer’s answer to this question could be, “I don’t want to.” And that’s completely valid. If the donor is part of the community, one could hope that they are experiencing the impact of the work naturally. But when that isn’t the case, discuss how you want to share the impact of your work, if at all. 

How do you navigate a mismatch in desire and capacity in a giving relationship? 

All cultural organizers and donor connections are not made equal. You may develop a deep and meaningful friendship with one person and not click with another. That is ok. Take the time to really feel if there is alignment between what you all are hoping to steward and create in this giving relationship. If you feel the mismatch, call in the other person, with gratitude that recognizes both side’s humanity, and determine what real next steps look like. There will be other donors and cultural organizers to connect with!

Relationship in Practice: A Donor’s Perspective

In one of my earliest giving relationships as a donor, a cultural organizer told me in our first conversation that all they wanted from me was money. While I now feel that’s a completely justified request, at the time I felt a little put off. I wanted to build a relationship with this person and their project, but, actually, what felt like an absence of relationship was in fact a defined relationship based on the cultural organizers capacity and their request for trust from me.

-Hilary Pollan

This is the third in a 3-part series on stewarding a giving relationship between donors and cultural organizers. This blog series is co-created by myself and the excellent donor organizer, Hilary Pollan. This series comes ahead of An Exploration of Southern Cultural Organizing on April 16. During this participatory event we will expand our collective understanding of cultural organizing through conversation with Triangle NC-based artists and cultural organizers Derrick Beasley, Mike Williams, and Omisade Burney-Scott. There will be opportunities to connect and engage with other donors, funders, and cultural organizers, and explore how to engage in a giving relationship to support this transformational work.

Stewarding a Giving Relationship: A Spectrum Of Resources Part 2

As we shared in Part 1, well-stewarded giving relationships are possible! They require asking questions that allow both the Cultural Organizer and Donor to honestly name their needs and capacity from this relationship. Specifically, we encourage folks to explore the Spectrums of Resources and Relationships to define the depth and dynamics of the relationship. 

Let’s explore the Spectrum of Resources and the questions Cultural Organizers and Donors may want to ask themselves and each other!

Spectrum of Resources

Resources, including money, is really where the rubber meets the road in a giving relationship. It’s the core impetus for the relationship between the Cultural Organizer and Donor, and YES it can be a foundation for constructive, two-way conversation filled with possibilities. 

How much money will you ask for/give? 

Most people start the money conversation in a giving relationship by thinking about the dollar amount. For us, the amount is less important because it will depend on the donor’s specific money context. Donors have a large range of access to wealth, and when and how they’re able to give depends on multiple factors (i.e. other giving commitments, access to cash and liquid assets, life and family responsibilities, etc). With that said, however, our basic rule of thumb is that folks with access to wealth should always commit to give as much as they can or a truly meaningful amount. And we encourage the cultural organizer to ask for the full amount they need. We believe that this emboldens the cultural organizer to speak clearly about their needs and educates the donor on the true cost of the work. 

How will the money be moved? 

What is often more important to the giving relationship than how much money, is defining how the money is moved. This spectrum extends from a one-time gift to recurring gifts on different scales (monthly, quarterly, annually) to a multi-year commitment. 

How will this resource ‘ask’ evolve and/or change over time? 

The amounts and how the money is moved are allowed to evolve over time. Cultural Organizers and Donors have permission to ask for the amount or frequency to increase or decrease. These requests to increase or decrease are best received when they are done transparently and with ample time to respond. 

What other resources can be shared in the giving relationship?

Money is just one resource that can be mobilized in a giving relationship. When thinking about how much to ask for or give, consider what resources beyond money could be useful, such  as making new connections with other donors or opportunities, access to space, taking a risk on behalf of the Cultural Organizer, and re-distributing some other form of power.

Money in Practice: A Cultural Organizer’s Perspective

Like many cultural organizers, some of my first donors were my friends. One set of friends in particular both supported my work with their financial resources and by connecting me with people in their network. These were connections I would not have had on my own and it increased the financial resources by 200%. It also reminded me of the power of asking for relational support as well as financial resources.

Photo by Derrick Beasley

This is the second in a 3-part series on stewarding a giving relationship between donors and cultural organizers. This blog series is co-created by myself and the excellent donor organizer, Hilary Pollan. This series comes ahead of An Exploration of Southern Cultural Organizing on April 16. During this participatory event we will expand our collective understanding of cultural organizing through conversation with Triangle NC-based artists and cultural organizers Derrick Beasley, Mike Williams, and Omisade Burney-Scott. There will be opportunities to connect and engage with other donors, funders, and cultural organizers, and explore how to engage in a giving relationship to support this transformational work.

Stewarding a Giving Relationship: A Spectrum of Possibility Part I

This is the first of a 3-part series on stewarding a giving relationship between donors and cultural organizers. This blog series is co-created by myself and the excellent donor organizer, Hilary Pollan. This series comes ahead of An Exploration of Southern Cultural Organizing on April 16. During this participatory event we will expand our collective understanding of cultural organizing through conversation with Triangle NC-based artists and cultural organizers Derrick Beasley, Mike Williams, and Omisade Burney-Scott. There will be opportunities to connect and engage with other donors, funders, and cultural organizers, and explore how to engage in a giving relationship to support this transformational work.

So you’re thinking about starting a giving relationship? Fantastic! Before you rush to your local coffee shop already planning how you will use or give a donation, let’s slow down and really think about how to steward this relationship. What would a successful relationship between a Cultural Organizer and Donor look like and what questions should you be asking before accepting or giving financial resources?

In this two-way relationship, we like to think of the Cultural Organizer as the Guiding Agency and the Donor as the Supporting Agency. This relationship is like Geese flying in a flock: The Cultural Organizer guides the flock, with the other birds (Donors) creating the rest of the formation. As each bird in the flock flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following, allowing the full formation to travel more easily with the shared momentum. We’re after this shared momentum and ease in a giving relationship!

How do you get to that shared momentum, generative relationship? The first and most important question that both parties should ask themselves  is “How is the donor navigating their power”? Does the donor have an analysis about how their access to wealth and resources impacts the relationship and is that a conversation that is possible between you? How are they dismantling the power differences that have traditionally defined giving relationships? This conversation can determine the depth and dynamics of the relationship. 

This may seem daunting to ascertain as you sip your oat milk latte but this is really a question about values. Some questions that could facilitate a conversation about power include “what do you most want your resources to do?”, “how are you of service or in community beyond financial resources?” “what long term impact do you hope to have?” These are a few questions that can illustrate someone’s values regarding power.

The great news, well-stewarded giving relationships are possible! They require asking questions that allow both the Cultural Organizer and Donor to honestly name their needs and capacity from this relationship. Specifically, we encourage folks to explore the Spectrums of Resources and Relationships to the depth and dynamics of the relationship. Join us for the rest of our series as we will offer specific questions and examples to help guide this exploration!