LEADERSHIP – KATHLEEN PROVOST
By Kathleen A. Provost, CFRE, MAdEd
As a professional fundraiser, I always seek to understand what influences my profession and how this impacts my ability to do my work. What has happened in the last few years, and more specifically in the last few months has brought to light fundamental social challenges that have forced upon us serious reflection. I believe that we all have been disturbed by a number of events that will now influence our future thinking about social responsibilities, economic realities, and human relations (the 3Rs). Understanding these 3Rs is instrumental in shaping what the charitable sector will look like in the years ahead.
Last month’s BrainTrust Philanthropy podcast entitled The Great Resignation. Is it Real or is it a Blip?, caused me to question if we are at a juncture in our history, or if we are just reacting to a moment in time. In Episode 54, Vincent Duckworth facilitated a conversation with Adam Pekarsky (Founding Partner and Executive Recruiter at Pekarsky & Co.) and Michelle Berg (Chief Visionary Officer and HR Partner at Elevated HR.) on the state of the workforce in the charitable sector, amongst other topics. This discussion made me wonder. Is this current moment in our history merely the results of recent events, such as COVID, which influence how we interact in our professional lives every day? Or is this time in our history a new paradigm, not solely influenced by recent events but the result of an accumulation of political, economic and behavioural actions over time which is now shifting what the charitable sector looks like?
I believe we find ourselves in a new paradigm. Meaning that the group of ideas we had about society, politics or work is being affected, and as a result we are changing the way we see and experience life.
INDICATORS OF A PARADIGM
1. SOCIAL DYNAMICS
Key social issues are being debated and with an increase awareness of “black life matters” or “climate change” as recent examples, we cannot simply accept status quo. Increasing our knowledge on such social issues may enable us to change the narrative around these social paradigms. Dr. Jessica Riddel (Foundation Magazine, Jul/Aug 2022 issue) shared her desire to create a framework to build resilient systems that can change our perspective on how we learn or unlearn as individuals. According to her, “Hope University” can help put in place systems, structures and policies necessary to foster human flourishing which will support established and emerging learners, as well as scholars, in the pursuit of further knowledge creation and sharing. Possibly enabling us to better understand and contribute to a changing social narrative.
I also found that Christina Palassio’s October 2022 article in The Philanthropist Journal illustrated eloquently social narrative changes in the charitable sector. Her article entitled: Shifting the conversation: How the sector is using narrative change to advance social change argues that the idea of narrative change is not new. Organizations and social movements have previously shifted public conversation on key social issues — but according to Palassio, it is something of an emerging area of work in our sector. She states that we must now find institutionalized narrative change practices as a strategic priority which will then enable charitable organizations to develop strategic messaging that can shift key social conversations. As a result, funding activities could achieve more systemic change.
We have recently witnessed philanthropic commitments trying to shift narrative power to “marginalized” groups which then reframes problematic narratives that stand in the way of meaningful change. Such examples are food security or affordable housing.
2. ECONOMIC DYNAMICS
Current economic factors also challenge our distinct set of economic concepts, theories, and standards for what would constitute legitimate contributions in the charitable sector. It was Bruce MacDonald (Foundation Magazine, Sep/Oct 2022 issue) who clearly indicated that the alterations made by charitable organizations to address the ongoing economic changes were not ephemera. How we pivoted to survive meant we were “re-writing” some of the rules of the charitable sector.
Tara Webber and I both agreed that “Quiet Quitting” (Foundation Magazine, Sep/Oct 2022 issue) was challenging the existing rules of engagement between employers and employees. Consequently, permanently re-writing the rules governing these professional relationships. This employee-employer relationship is now continuing to evolve. From quitting to layoffs. “Loud Layoffs”, seen as shocking or sudden mass layoffs, have been reported in numerous industries. I therefore feel the need to ask — is this behaviour a response to the pandemic or perhaps a cyclical economic trend in the workforce?
According to Jennifer Liu in her November 30, 2022, CNBC publication, further analysis of each companies’ hiring practices merits attention to better understand the trends before, during and after the pandemic. Corporate behaviour is key to understanding the reasons for these mass layoffs, as well as how the rules of engagement between employees and employers have been impacted. Returning “back-to-business”, as things were prior to this global pandemic may not be possible.
Let’s further explore this corporate illustration with Peloton. Peloton is a home fitness equipment maker and streaming company. They prospered during the pandemic because their customers were home isolating. Now, with less isolation, their customers have changed their behaviours. 2022 is also showing signs of an economic recession. According to The ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Index (November 2022), Peloton is downsizing their workforce by 12 percent. I must therefore ask. Are these layoffs the result of changed customers’ behaviour (caused by the pandemic) or, are these layoffs a response to an economic recession (which corporations have faced regularly throughout history).
These economic behaviours, by both employers and employees influence our philanthropic activities. Individual discretionary charitable giving has evolved from a sense of obligation, to a purposeful way of giving, for greater impact. Corporate giving is now turning to trust-based philanthropy, also referred to as “stakeholder philanthropy”. Now, the focus is on building strong ties founded in true partnerships that include diverse groups of stakeholders in granting decisions, rather than asking grantees to cater to corporate charitable requirements.
3. BEHAVIOURAL (INDIVIDUAL) DYNAMICS
Our very own “way of life” in the charitable sector has also been affected. I am making reference to the alteration of our own collection of beliefs and ideas about what philanthropy should be. In the last two years, the narrative to fundraise had to re-invent itself to survive. This is how raising funds for affordable housing morphed from the perception of housing as a commodity (a real estate value), to housing as a human right (the value to human beings to have a decent place to live).
Sean Gibbons, head of Washington, D.C. based The Communications Network states that “we’re very fortunate to be living in this really extraordinary time where information has become the most important currency on the planet”. The currency he refers to is not just an attempt to communicate to broadcast out, but rather, this currency can be used to truly communicate, listen, and find ways to engage.
Whitney MacLean also mentioned behavioural changes when trying to engage volunteers (Foundation Magazine, May/June 2022 issue). Whitney talked about the biggest impact this global pandemic has had in her professional life, and to quote her own words: “we had to throw out the rule book”. According to her, the most important thing is to get to know your volunteer. We need to be creative in building relationships to further engage individuals within the charitable sector. If we embrace the need for “a new rule book”, I believe we can embrace change in a positive way — just as Whitney did.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Maybe this global pandemic has enabled us to pause and re-write some of the ways we operate in the charitable sector. Pivoting, hybrid, new rules of engagement, enduring cuts, and even purposeful communications have now shaped the way we do philanthropic work.
If philanthropy means — “the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed by generous donations towards specific causes” — can we then use the current new paradigm to raise awareness and affect people’s beliefs and actions on critical social, professional, or personal issues? By definition, a paradigm is a frame of reference that affects how we see and experience a situation. Hence this new paradigm can contribute to developing counter-narratives that can change mindsets, and conversations, and fuel action. We have all observed new narratives gain traction or shift focus by sheer repetition amongst media, decision-makers, and the public over the years.
The time is now. A new paradigm is providing us with the opportunity to “change the book of rules” and take different approaches in our profession, as well as in our philanthropic relationships. Carpe Diem
Kathleen A. Provost, CFRE is currently the Director, Campaign Initiatives at St. Francis Xavier University, in Antigonish, NS. She brings over 25 years of fundraising experience within the charitable sector. She has been a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) since 2007, and a long-time member and volunteer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). As a recognized leader, Kathleen has tailored presentations and workshops for French and English audiences at various events including AFP-Nova Scotia, AFP-Ottawa, AFP-National Congress, Coady International Institute and the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education. Kathleen is a McGill University graduate and holds a Master, Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University. She has received numerous recognitions during her career, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her contributions to the charitable sector and 2021 Fundraiser of the Year in Nova Scotia. She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.
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