Each organization’s equity journey is a reflection of its history, its mission, the communities it serves, and the beliefs and experiences of those who serve it. Each is distinct and moves at its own pace – and rarely in a straight line. The need to maintain and grow funding can place pressure on fundraisers to initiate or lead conversations about equity in some organizations, or to track down and make sense of metrics demonstrating progress in others. 

In the first part of this session, we’ll explore the role of the fundraiser in the negotiation of an organization’s growth toward more equitable decision making and community outcomes. We’ll look at the fundamental goals of engaging in equity work, the positions that fundraisers find themselves in as their organizations pursue it, and the practical opportunities in rethinking and reframing the equity journey to reflect their organization’s real experience. Following the break, we’ll discuss how organizations from different parts of the non-profit sector are connecting their equity work to their fundraising work. We’ll look at some ways data can be used to bring growth and learning in this area to life for donors, and we’ll have a candid conversation about selecting KPIs that put the mission first.