WHAT THE FUNDRAISING
132: Redefining Fundraising through a Community-Centric Approach with Michelle Shireen Muri
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“Recognize the history, the racist history, around how nonprofits and foundations were built.”
– Michelle Shireen Muri
Episode #132
Overview
In this episode of What the Fundraising Podcast…
Are you aware of the inequalities in conventional donor-centric fundraising strategies? Are you intrigued by the burgeoning interest in community-centric fundraising, but unsure how to effectively participate or get it ‘right’? It’s time to embrace a shift towards more community-focused fundraising methods. However, many organizations find themselves ensnared in perfectionism, unsure how to integrate these principles into their operations. In this episode, we’re demystifying the process, addressing how to overcome these obstacles, and successfully implement fundraising initiatives that make a real impact in your community.
I’m excited to introduce Michelle Shireen Muri, a passionate advocate of community-centric fundraising and the dynamic host of the Ethical Rainmaker Podcast. As a co-founder of the community-centric fundraising movement, Michelle’s work has been instrumental in sparking dialogues around equity and social justice within the nonprofit sector. With her background in immigrant rights advocacy and extensive consulting work in fundraising, Michelle offers a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities that nonprofits face today. I’m particularly excited to discuss with Michelle how organizations can tackle barriers like perfectionism and fear, which often hinder the adoption of community-centric fundraising methods.
The reason I was so keen to have this conversation with Michelle is because of a recurring theme I’ve noticed among organizations: the desire to incorporate community-centric fundraising principles, tempered by fears of making mistakes and uncertainty about where to begin. This apprehension perpetuates a cycle wherein white supremacy culture continues to dominate our organizations. Our discussion also delves into the relationship between community-centric and donor-centric practices, and how to challenge the deeply ingrained white supremacy culture in many organizations, while acknowledging its historical roots in the sector. To me, Michelle is an inspiring figure, and I greatly appreciate her steadfast dedication to keeping our sector accountable, helping us navigate complex principles and standards in a non-binary and open-minded way.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
- Introducing Michelle Muri
- What is Community-centric Fundraising?
- Perfectionism and Community-centric Fundraising
- Donor-centric vs. Community-centric Fundraising
- Nonprofits and Systemic Issues
- The Risks of Donor-Centered Fundraising
- The Intersection of Fundraising and Programmatic Work
- Discomfort and Risk
- The Diversity in Decision Making
- Taking Money from Unethical Practices
- Figuring Out Your Position of Power
- How to Show Gratitude and Donor Recognition in Community-Centric Ways
- Building Healthy Habits in Fundraising
- Resources for Community-Centric Fundraising
- Authenticity and Value Alignment
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Many thanks to our sponsor, Neon One for making this episode possible. I love partnering with Neon One because I believe they care for the whole nonprofit, and I know that my clients will be well taken care of. I also love how they work with consultants to value our time and expertise. They pay for speaking at their events, and they understand how consultants support the entire sector. To learn more about Neon One’s partner program CLICK HERE.
- If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.
- If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point
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TIPS AND TOOLS TO IMPLEMENT TODAY
- Community-centric fundraising emphasizes the importance of involving all stakeholders in decision-making processes and prioritizing long-term community impact over satisfying donor preferences and demands.
- Michelle encourages organizations to understand the limitations of donor-centric practices and embrace the potential of community-centric fundraising for the benefit of all stakeholders involved.
- White supremacy cultural elements (like perfectionism) intersect with our ability to implement community centric practices and we need to acknowledge that. We cannot just take a listicle from community centric fundraising and try to check a lot of boxes without doing the internal antiracism and white supremacy work that surrounds those principals. So if you’re filled with fear around ‘getting community centric fundraising right’ there is some deeper white supremacy cultural work you need to explore first.
- It is important to recognize that systemic issues prevent organizations from adequately addressing the root causes of the problems they aim to solve, and nonprofits alone cannot fix complex societal problems that arise due to broken economic and political systems. This is why it’s so important to recognize when we have been using the same systems and practices in our organizations that perpetuate the inequalities we claim to be solving.
- By adopting a more community-centric approach in every element of their organization, nonprofits can build resilience and foster positive change in the communities they serve. A big piece of this involves not siloing fundraising and ensuring that the practices you fundraise with are value and mission aligned just like the services you provide.
FAVORITE QUOTES
- "Recognize the history, the racist history, around how nonprofits and foundations were built." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "This is about having power with other people, not power over other people." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "Obsession with time often gets in the way of real conversations." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "Charity is grounded in the belief that it resolves systemic issues - which it doesn't." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "If they're not open to conversation, if they're not open to changing their ways, we don't need to take their money." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "We learned that folks working in fundraising felt like the way that we traditionally fundraise, actually promotes white saviorism and promotes racism and bad practices and often damages our communities." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "Part of it is that there's a lack of awareness and accountability in our system." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "It has been amazing to watch the rise of community centric fundraising and the community and just how quickly the initial language, the surface level of what the movement was intended to do, started to find its way into every nook and cranny." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "It's a consistent process. And [our desire to complete the work is not only] an element of white supremacy, but I actually also think that it's part of perfectionistic tendencies of just wanting to complete something and have it be done, and have it be done well and get pat on the head and move on." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "When we are obsessed and perfectionistic about time and timeliness and how much time something's going to take us, it often gets in the way of real conversations." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "It's important to just remember to keep talking about ‘just because it's working doesn't mean it's right’. Just because whatever fundraising method we're using is really effective in raising money, for example, does not mean that it's ethical." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "We as donors, as people who donate, are often feeling extracted from when we aren't recognized and thanked." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "But I think we definitely want to make efforts to authentically thank, whatever that means, and just recognize you use your lifeblood and your life energy to make this money in this society, and then you decide it, which is hard to make a living in, and then you gave it to us so that our community will all rise together. That has to happen." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "Generously donating money is hard to do in this society, and we should recognize and thank them for it." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "We all feel better being more authentic and aligned with our values." - Michelle Shireen Muri
- "Charity is grounded in the belief that charity resolves systemic issues, which is not true." - Michelle Shireen Muri
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Michelle Shireen Muri is the founder of Freedom Conspiracy, a small collective of consultants focused on bringing values-aligned practices to growth opportunities, with and for communities of color and the nonprofits that serve them. Her clients have including Decolonizing Wealth Project, Designing Justice, Columbia Legal Services, LAUNCH and others. Michelle is the current Co-Chair of the founding Seattle chapter of Community-Centric Fundraising and a former Director of Development for Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the largest immigrant rights org in the nation.
With 15 years of fundraising experience, she believes there is deep power and personal healing in the work of generating resources from a values-aligned space.
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I teach nonprofit fundraisers to bring in more gifts from the RIGHT donors… so they can stop hounding people for money. Fundraising doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.
- CEO & Creator of the Power Partners Formula™
- Disruptor in the funding sector, changing lives everyday
- Relentlessly committed to the movement of money into the nonprofit sector
- Focused on win-win partnerships that allow fundraisers to be authentic and empowered in their work
- Over 15 years working in nonprofits (managing director and ED of multiple fast-growth organizations)
MALLORY ERICKSON
