A Look at Next Gen Donors’ Approach to Social Justice Giving
On February 28, 2023, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute released its latest research report,?Moving Money and Shifting Power for Social Justice: Voices of Wealthy Next-Gen Donors, crafted by Dr. Elizabeth Dale, PhD of Seattle University. The study—a qualitative deep dive into the motivations and behaviors of 28 wealthy Millennial and Gen Z donors to social justice—has implications for all of us and builds on the broader body of research about women and philanthropy.?
This report is not explicitly about women donors, but it touches on many areas of philanthropy that are of interest to WPI and our research agenda. In particular, it provides a data-driven look at younger donors, whereas many have only hypothesized about how younger generations will give compared to previous generations. This study helps us understand how these young donors, especially those with more abundant financial resources, are approaching their giving. It touches on: giving by young, wealthy donors; giving by LGBTQ+ donors; giving to racial and social justice; intergenerational wealth and giving dynamics; reparative philanthropy, or giving to address problematic ways in which wealth was earned—and more.?
This report also discusses how intersectional identities influence philanthropy, a subject central to WPI’s work; we understand that gender is just one facet of the complexity of individuals’ identities. In this way, the study also offers insights on these predominantly female donors, many who identify as queer or part of the LGBTQ+ community, and invites us to look at gender and philanthropy in a more expansive way.?
While racial and social justice causes comprise a relatively small portion of all philanthropy, giving to these areas has grown rapidly, and these causes and issues have been central to many philanthropic conversations in recent years.?
We had the pleasure of sitting in on one such conversation during the report launch in February, during which several philanthropic leaders shared their perspectives on the research. The themes of the report center around defining social justice philanthropy; how participants apply six core practices in giving; how they expand giving beyond traditional nonprofits; and several core tensions in social justice philanthropy that they navigate.?
Panelist Jennifer Ching , Executive Director of North Star Fund asked, “What does it really mean to move dollars responsibly and not just be an ally, but a core support for social justice work?” Further, Jennifer stated, “Practicing social justice philanthropy leads one to challenge oneself—philanthropy should be the place where we're making ourselves uncomfortable.”
For many research participants, social justice philanthropy is an attempt to reconcile the gap between the world in which wealthy donors operate today and the values they hold for a more equitable future. Complex and intersectional identities, including donors’ gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religious beliefs, drive giving to social justice.
The report also described six core practices of social justice giving demonstrated by study participants:
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The research revealed participants’ giving tends to extend beyond traditional nonprofits to include political giving and movement building, mutual aid and rapid response, and sharing resources with friends and community members in need. Mac Liman, Resource Generation Board Co-Chair, noted, “We can commit to redistributing $100 million, but our current structure will circle that funding back to people of privilege, so part of the work needs to include rethinking our structures and processes.”
Isabelle H. Leighton , Executive Director of Donors of Color Network , asked, “How do we balance our philanthropy to be able to sustain the movement we're building from the social justice perspective, while addressing this very real racial wealth divide?” Research participants expressed facing several core tensions and obstacles while navigating social justice giving. They recognized they were fighting wealth inequality while also benefiting from class privilege; responding to urgent needs while also wanting to support systemic change; and ceding decision-making power while also wanting to have closer relationships and be hands-on with nonprofits and beneficiaries.?
Dr. Elizabeth Dale closed our session with this important reminder: “Whether these donors and organizations have been at this work for 3 years or 40 years, they are all still on learning journeys and we don't have to have all the answers to take action. We're in an imperfect situation, and one that simultaneously compels us to act.”
There’s so much more great detail in the report, which you can download here. We encourage you to use this research to inform your philanthropy.
A quick caveat:?
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute is an apolitical organization and encourages giving to whatever causes resonate with donors. This report focuses on giving to social justice as an emerging conversation in philanthropy and a growing area of giving. This research does not weigh in on whether interviewees’ motivations or giving behaviors are correct; rather, it seeks to understand more about how these donors give and how they think about their giving.