PERSPECTIVES from a Hybrid Start-Up Micro-NPO

CLASS, not TRASH!    

Since J2RRINC.org/.com is not pursuing donations proactively, nor submitting grant applications, it isn’t easy to provide an impact of any form of donations. Also, the overall vision for J2RRINC.org/.com is to offer grants and scholarships to support individuals who want to make lasting impacts on society as aspiring social entrepreneurs in the creation of a better future.

However, from a hypothetical stance:

Effect of Large Donors on J2RRINC.org/.com

     Big donors and contributions would impact organizations such as (J2RRINC.org/.com) by providing needed funding that allows various types of programs to be activated, offering disaster recovery, environmental conservation, and cultural maintenance. Larger donations usually have inbuilt demands for accountability and measurability, which lead organizations to a more systematic approach towards their activities, which, according to Sargeant and George (2014), is not a bad thing. This may contribute to improved program performance and increased community acceptance. Nonetheless, dependence on large donors can have drawbacks, including loss of support in the organization’s core mission as the donors become a focus, moving the organization’s focus away from community needs to the donors’ priorities (Sargeant & George, 2014).

Change vs. Charity Perspective

Figure 1

Defining Community Leadership Is NOT About Monetary Gain (LePere-Schloop et al., 2024)

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     It’s this point of view that entails seeing the ‘change vs. charity” mindset and considering the lasting effects of donations. Charity sweetens life's immediate distress and offers some means of temporary refreshment without dealing with problems that go on festering beneath. By contrast, a change of focus promotes enduring solutions that enable and strengthen communities (Warren, 1991). The J2RRINC.org/.com model is more attuned to the change paradigm, working to build community capacity to be disaster-ready and environmentally smart. J2RRINC.org/.com aims to focus on creating revolutionary social impact, over short-term aid, by focusing on education and capacity building. LePere-Schloop et al. (2024) argue that microfoundations (e.g., similar to J2RRINC.org/.com) are the true phoenixes in the marketplace, making lasting change, and that money should never be one’s motive to help others (Figure 1).

Donating & Social Change | Pros & Cons

     While donations can bring about positive social change, it does not happen as a matter of course. The impact of a donation on the ground is influenced by factors such as donor alignment with community needs, the ability of an organization to deliver programs effectively, and the engagement of community members in decision-making (Rath & Schuyt, 2015). For J2RRINC.org/.com, donations that support educational programs and community engagement are more effective at producing longstanding change. Conversely, if contributions are made to projects that do not speak to the community’s sensibilities and where the cause isn’t a root cause, the prospects for positive social change become stifled.

Potential Detrimental Impacts

     Despite the positive intentions behind donations, there can be ill effects in some instances. For example, high levels of support can lead to dependency on the part of communities, which can weaken local efforts and self-reliance (LaPere-Schloop et al., 2024; Meyer et al., 2021; Suárez et al., 2018). If J2RRINC.org/.com depended on one big donor to fund it, they could easily be focused on what serves that donor rather than the community. Thus, the goals would be going in opposite directions. Furthermore, the overabundance of funds can result in rivalry between organizations over resources, which can hinder partnership and collective impact (Sargeant & George, 2014). Second, the lack of transparency in the handling of donations can undermine trust within the community, breeding cynicism of the organization's aims and efficacy. In short, although J2RRINC.org/.com can benefit tremendously from significant donations for transitional change - those funds would need to be matched by commitment to sustainable change instead of charity. In so doing, life-changing benefits become more accessible to both donors and recipients alike.

     Though major donations to J2RRINC.org/.com could significantly impact us towards transformative programs, it is imperative to approach funding that focuses on change and not charity. Aligning donor interests with community needs, while fostering greater transparency, mutual interest, and collaborative actions, grounds all stakeholders in a shared understanding of wealth’s potential to catalyze (rather than foster dependency or misalignment) positive social change.

REFERENCES

LePere-Schloop, M., Walk, M., & Paarlberg, L. E. (2024). “We expected a revolution and got a slow burn”: Microfoundations of institutional change in the community foundation field. Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 53(1), pp. 159-185. https://doi.org/10.1177/08997640231152240

Meyer, M., Smith-Goering, E., Hopkins, K., Hyde, C., & Mattocks, N. (2021). Walking the talk in participatory philanthropy. The Foundation Review, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.9707/1944-5660.1562

Rath, J., & Schuyt, T. (2015). From philanthropy to partnerships: Testing a theoretical framework of entrepreneurial philanthropy alignment. Journal of Service Science & Management, 8, pp. 425-442. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jssm.2015.83044

Sargeant, A., & George, J. (2014). Fundraising management: Analysis, planning and practice (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781000426939/ epubcfi/6/34[%3Bvnd.vst.idref%3Dch10]!/4

Suárez, D. F., Husted, K., & Casas, A. (2018). Community foundations as advocates: social change discourse in the philanthropic sector. Interest Groups & Advocacy, 7(3), pp. 206-232. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41309-018-0039-z

Warren, D. M. (1991). Using indigenous knowledge in agricultural development. The International Bank for Reconstruction & Development/The World Bank. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/408731468740976906/pdf/multi-page.pdf

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