Updated September 2023
1. Our fundraising promotes racial equity and social justice.
We will invest in educating ourselves and our donors on equity, anti-racism, systems change, and other areas important for our mission “to advance racial equity and social justice through the power of our Latine roots, culture, and community.”
2. We value and recognize all who engage in strengthening the community by donating to our organization.
We will show respect, appreciation, and recognition to all who contribute to our mission at any level including volunteers, staff, board members, community members, or current/former participants.
3. We strive to collaborate with other agencies to prioritize our community and their needs.
The community is best served if we see ourselves as part of a larger ecosystem working collectively to build a just society. We will strive to develop partnerships with organizations to reduce competition and increase impact.
4. We are generous and mutually supportive of other organizations and community-based groups.
We will be generous with our connections, time, knowledge, and experience by taking additional actions such as:
- introducing our donors to other nonprofits or community-based groups, as appropriate.
- sharing grant opportunities and funder relationships, as appropriate.
- collaborating and supporting one another during fundraising galas and other events.
- sharing resources, ideas, and promising practices in fundraising and other areas.
5. We treat donors as partners, and this means that we are transparent, and occasionally have difficult conversations.
We will strive to have honest, respectful conversations to be effective, including:
- being honest and transparent with our donors about the resources that it takes to comply with their desired outcomes to reduce staff burnout, turnover, and increase the quality of our services
- encourage funders to understand and invest in living wages and core mission support, also known as “overhead” or “indirect” expenses.
- never adhering to donors’ wishes if it ever comes at the expense of our staff, partners, participants, or community.
6. We foster a sense of belonging, strength-based communication, and reject “savior complex”
We must use fundraising to ensure everyone feels a sense of belonging. This includes developing content and fundraising strategies that highlight the strengths and potential of our community while articulating barriers as systemic issues, not individual choices. This includes:
- being thoughtful and intentional when engaging our community members in fundraising activities (i.e. asking for them to share personal stories).
- Using empowering and strength-based images on our media channels such as our website, social media, newsletters, and outreach materials.
7. We promote the understanding that everyone personally benefits from engaging in the work of social justice – it’s not just charity and compassion.
We will strive to avoid creating a sense of charity or pity among donors toward other community members and instead encourage donors to see how they and their families also benefit from the work they are donating to sustain.