Creating Change Not Charity

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Creating ChangeNot Charity

• Social Justice Fund
• for Ventura County

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Parable of the Downstreamers

• Adapted from
• Ardell, D. (1986). The Parable of the
  Downstreamers. High Level Wellness An
  Alternative to Doctors, Drugs and Disease. Ten
  Speed Press. Berkeley, CA.

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People are Drowning!

• Downstream villagers spotted the first drowning
  person in the river many years ago, but they
  could offer little help.
• Sometimes it took hours to pull 20 people from
  the river, and then only a few would survive.

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Things Got Worse! But the Community Responded!

• The number of victims kept increasing, but . . .
• The Downstreamers rescue system saves most
  drowning people in 20 minutes or less!
• Now only a few drown each day.

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Some are Proud of the Services and Supports . . .

• New hospital at the edge of the river,
• A flotilla of rescue boats ready,
• Comprehensive plans for coordinating staffing and
  
• Highly trained and dedicated swimmers ready to
  risk their lives
• Hold an awards banquet every year

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. . . But Other Downstreamers Disagree

• They believe that people need to take better care
  of themselves
• They are upset with having to help people who
  refuse to help themselves
• They say other needs go unmet, and they are being
  taxed to death for these services

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Both Groups Overlook Some Key Questions
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Whats Going on Upstream??!! Who Keeps Throwing
People in the River??!!Why are People Drowning
at All??!!Are there systemic causes that lead
to people in trouble?
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Like the Parable, Ventura County Has Many
Examples of People and Communitiesin Trouble
Resulting from Systemic Causes and Inequities
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• What are a few examples?

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Social Justice Fund for Ventura County

• Background and Goals

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Moving From Charity to Social Justice
Philanthropy

• Charity helps people but does not change the
  systemic causes. So problems just continue.
• Social justice philanthropy empowers people to
  organize and create long-term systemic changes
  for themselves and society.

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A New Community Movement is growing in the U.S.
to Develop Social Justice Funds that Identify
Systemic Causes of Social Problems and Work to
Change Them

• Creating Change Not Charity

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Social Justice Philanthropy

• Shifts our focus to helping people transform
  their communities.
• Reduces systemic causes that create needs.
• Invests in nonprofit organizations that work for
  systemic change.
• Creates opportunity for those who have the least
  educational, economic, social, or political
  resources.

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Social Justice Efforts . Fund for Santa
Barbara Liberty Hill Foundation in Los
AngelesNo Such Resource in Ventura County to
Bring Attention to Systemic Causes and Work to
Change These Conditions
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Much Planning and Thought Brings Us Here Today

• Winter 2004 ? Organized Planning Group
• Spring 2004 ? Researched National Models
• Summer 2004 ? Conducted Feasibility Study
• Fall 2005 ? Developed Giving Circle Plan
• November 2005 ? Received McCune Implementation
  Grant

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What Did We Decide To Do?

• Establish the Social Justice Fund For Ventura
  County
• Conduct a 12-month Giving Circle process to
  educate ourselves and test the viability of an
  ongoing social justice fund
• Allocate 50,000 in grants to social justice
  projects

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The Social Justice Fund Giving Circle will . . .

• 1. Help people help themselves by making grants
  that engage, educate and empower people in our
  communities who experience the effects of
  inequities.

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The Social Justice Fund Giving Circle will . . .

• 2. Focus on removing and bridging structural and
  institutional barriers to equal opportunity.

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The Social Justice Fund Giving Circle will . . .

• 3. Strengthen grassroots groups that work for
  social, political, gender environmental and
  economic equity.

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The Social Justice Fund Giving Circle will . . .

• Bring Ventura Countys concerned donors together
  to contribute in an intellectually stimulating
  way,
• meet like-minded individuals and have fun doing
  it.

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The Social Justice Fund Giving Circle will . . .

• 5. Connect grassroots groups and donors in
  discussions about equity issues facing our
  community, and in identifying systemic solutions.

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Examples of Grants from Other Areas

• Latino parents advocating for more college prep
  classes at local schools
• Tenants organizing to make slum housing more
  livable
• Bus riders learning and organizing to obtain
  better bus service

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Social Justice Fund for Ventura County

• How Does the Giving Circle Work?

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A Giving Circle Defined

• A Giving Circle is a pooled fund created by a
  group of individuals who make grants together
  around a common interest shared values

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Common Characteristics of a Giving Circle

• Highly participatory
• Collective decision making
• Member driven
• Learning and networking are key factors

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Join or Support the 2006 Giving Circle

• Join the Giving Circle by
• Making a deductible contribution of a minimum of
• 500 per person
• Having an organization contribute the 500 for a
  persons voting membership
• Support the Giving Circle through a contribution
  of any amount
• Every penny will go to grants for local social
  justice efforts to create systemic change

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Giving Circle Plan

• April Aug Learn about social justice and how
  to create social change in Ventura County
• Sept Nov Learn about grantmaking
• Dec - Jan Decide on, and give grants
• Feb March Reflect plan for the future

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Benefits of Joining the Giving Circle

• Connecting with people
• Learning about social justice issues, nonprofits
  and grantmaking
• Making site visits to groups working for change
  in Ventura County
• Deciding on social justice priorities
• Pooling dollars for greater impact

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Social Justice Fund for Ventura County

• Leadership and Partners

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Who We Are.Steering Committee

• Sue Brody
• Judy Bysshe
• Julie Drezner
• Jill Bangser Fioravanti
• Doug Halter
• Cheryl Heitmann
• Larry Janss

• Dan Jordan
• Hank Lacayo
• Terri Lisagor
• Kate McLean
• Irene Pinkard
• Hugh Ralston
• Marcos Vargas

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Who We Are.Institutional Partners

• Ventura County Community Foundation
• Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
  (CAUSE)
• McCune Foundation

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Give a Family a Fish Charity Teach a Family
to Fish SustainabilityOrganize a
Community-Based Intergenerational Fishing
Collective Systemic Change
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Social Justice Fund for Ventura County

• Creating ChangeNot Charity