Philanthropic and Political Consulting
AL Advising works with progressive philanthropists to create a portfolio of civic engagement, policy, and advocacy investments including 501c3, 501c4, candidate, and related political giving.
This article, with insights from the Women's Philanthropy Institute, is of particular interest to me, given my work with Progressive Women Silicon Valley, a political giving circle.
A key takeaway: "Pockets of very powerful women at the community and grassroots level are forming their own giving circles, their own collective giving models, their own modes of engaging in philanthropy, to make powerful changes in their own communities and across the globe," said Mesch.
In light of the announcement of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative yesterday, this article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Young Tech Donors Take Leading Role in Philanthropy 50, is even more timely.
It's worth noting, as the article points out, that many tech donors have yet figured out their funding priorities. Older institutional donors like Gates obviously have and some, like Sean Parker, have a pet cause, but the bulk of giving is essentially financial "set asides" to community foundations or other holding entities. This is not surprising as many tech donors are still working full-time and not yet focused on philanthropy as their day job.
I would encourage tech donors to take more of a hybrid approach to their giving: try some new, bold ideas; support some "old school" institutions and organizations; and experiment with new models of giving, like the Chan Zuckerberg LLC that allow giving beyond 501c3 donations.
A new article from Inside Philanthropy outlines some of the ways in which 501c3, or non-partisan money, can be used for political purposes.
"Let's take the area of voter education, registration, and turnout as an example. It's no secret that who turns out to vote, and where, can make a big difference in determining which candidates win on Election Day. If more African Americans turn out in swing states like Florida or North Carolina, for instance, that's good news for Democrats. If the electorate tilts toward older and white voters, Republicans stand to gain."
In 2012 and 2014, I helped fund some of the groups mentioned through my work with the Youth Engagement Fund. These groups do amazing, non-partisan, little "d" democracy work year-in and year-out. Sadly, many constituencies DO register and vote at lower rates; sometimes it is the result of systemic disenfranchisement or purposeful efforts to undermine their power and sometimes it is a result of societal norms, like young people being less aware of the voting process, low-income workers with transportation issues, and the like. These facts have become part of our political football in unfortunate ways, demonizing well-intentioned efforts to increase all citizens access to the ballot as partisan politics.
I believe if more funders gave in this space, and gave not only in presidential election years, we could both de-politicize ths work and truly help solve this ongoing problem.
While I dislike the term Generation Y, as it implies that generation (otherwise known as Millennials) is similar to Generation X (which couldn't be further from the truth), this New York Times article outlines the upcoming generation, dubbing them Generation Z.
The Bridgespan Group has a comprehensive Giving Checklist for philanthropists. While directed at larger and more hands-on donors, there are many excellent questions to help you get started in thinking about how and why you give. AL Advising is developing a more customized questionnaire for clients -- stay tuned!
Labor Day is the unofficial kickoff for Get Out The Vote (GOTV) on a campaign -- the time when the intensity ramps up even more and you start ticking off days on a calendar with abandon. One year out from that critical time in 2016, I thought I would reflect on the presidential election thus far.
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