Cultivating Trusting Funder-Nonprofit Relationships

The Social Innovation Forum (SIF) recently hosted “Rooted in Trust: Nurturing Funder-Nonprofit Relationships.” The event brought together funders and nonprofit leaders for a panel, table discussions, and networking. 

As philanthropy shifts more towards trust-based relationships between funders and nonprofit leaders, the SIF network has been eager to learn more. High-trust environments advance both impact and equity, so SIF convened four panelists to share how they cultivate trust across power dynamics.

Funders Sheri Gurock (Executive Director, The Beker Foundation) and Lily Sargeant (Program Officer, US Partnerships, Wagner Foundation) described how they address power imbalances in their roles as funders. Nonprofit executive directors Shavel’le Olivier (Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition) and Ruth Zakarin (Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence) gave examples of times they were transparent with funders.

Participants then discussed themes and worked together to generate questions for the panelists. After the Q&A, participants reflected on the session and shared their takeaways. A few main themes emerged for each group.

© Mike Ritter

Key Themes

What Funders Can Do

1. Create diverse touchpoints with nonprofit leaders. Funders can invite nonprofit leaders to meet for more informal conversations. Having diverse points of engagement fosters new and different lines of open communication. Getting to know each other as people builds trusting relationships.
2. Embed feedback in the grant process. Create spaces and mechanisms for receiving and learning from feedback (on both sides!). Provide feedback on all grant applications, regardless of the funding decision. Invite feedback from applicants.

What Nonprofit Leaders Can Do

1. Share openly and honestly to the extent you feel comfortable. Some leaders feel apprehensive about describing the resources necessary to fund the work. As discussed in "Funding for Equity," many funders want to know the full cost of nonprofit activities. This transparency advances equity and promotes sustainability for nonprofits and their leaders. Nonprofit leaders can also share challenges their organizations are facing. Many funders are eager to provide support and thought partnership on learning experiences.
2. Provide funders with feedback. Many funders seek feedback on the experience of completing applications, interviews, and meetings. By sharing positive and constructive feedback, nonprofit leaders help improve the funding process. Feedback can include calling funders in if they are perpetuating harmful patterns. Establishing bi-directionality in the relationship can lead to more trust and shared understanding. 

We are so grateful to everyone who joined us for this discussion and to our insightful panelists. We will continue to share our learnings as we all navigate cultivating trusting relationships.

About Network Engagement

“Rooted in Trust: Nurturing Funder-Nonprofit Relationships" was an SIF Network Engagement event in September 2024. Our Network Engagement programming has two main goals: peer learning and network building. We bring together nonprofit leaders and funders to learn from and with each other as we work together toward positive social change.

About the Author: Carina Traub is the Funder Learning Manager at the Social Innovation Forum, where she plans programming for funders. She has a deep appreciation for equitable partnerships and is eager to shift power dynamics together.