What is community philanthropy?

Monterrey, Nuevo León, February 15, 2021.— Community philanthropy is a form of development driven from the local level that strengthens community capacity and voice and builds trust, while leveraging local resources and using them as a foundation for greater achievements. This is an approach outlined by Dana R. H. Doan in the analysis What Is Community Philanthropy?  

Philanthropy has been a part of human history since ancient civilizations, when people helped one another and shared resources. Although there is little literature addressing the concept of community philanthropy, this practice is currently carried out by pooling resources to build and sustain a strong community.

According to the article "How Community Philanthropy Transfers Power,", community philanthropy is based on the premise that every community has its own resources—money, skills, knowledge, networks, etc.—which, when pooled, strengthen the power and voice of its members. Added to this is the deliberate combination of resources from external donors and the community foundation.

This type of philanthropy is based on reciprocity, solidarity, transparency, accountability, and trust, but it also seeks to strengthen the community and improve its well-being. Generally, the following practices are followed:

• Integration into the social environment: grassroots organizations and groups define their community priorities.
• Prioritizing Relationships: Community philanthropy is characterized primarily by relationships, which develop through repeated, honest, and reciprocal interactions.
• Co-production: They empower individuals, families, and the communities they serve by giving them a voice, control, and ownership in the design, implementation, and evaluation of their programs.
• Focus on the root causes: To ensure that no damage occurs during the process, seeking structural change and long-term solutions is essential.
• Honest, intentional, and neutral engagement and facilitation: Relationships between actors and other key stakeholders are important within organizations.
• Sharing of resources: identify, evaluate, and share all types of resources—from financial and human to cultural and moral.
• Informed leadership: Community leaders identify common interests and reach agreements. They also foster curiosity, creativity, and dialogue among their members.

Currently, several organizations in Mexico are engaged in community philanthropy initiatives, including the 16 foundations in our Comunalia alliance, with the goal of empowering individuals and groups to participate effectively in efforts to find solutions to problems within their communities.

Sources: 
1] https://comunalia.org.mx/portfolio_page/que-es-la-filantropia-comunitaria/ 
2] https://grantcraft.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/comm-phil-spanish-compressed.pdf 

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