#HumbleThePower to #ShiftThePower

Fabiana (centre) with colleagues at the SummitHow to reflect on the Summit?

After returning home from December’s Global Summit on Community Philanthropy I felt the need to process what I experienced over an intense two days in Johannesburg. Reflecting on the main theme, #ShiftThePower – the motto and catchy hashtag for the Summit – seemed to be an obvious place to start.  

Discussions at the Summit also kept bringing to mind the French sociologist and anthropologist Pierre Bourdieu’s “Theory of Fields.” This theory, in short, analyzes social practice through the observation of a specific field, where individuals with different types of capital (social, economic, cultural, etc.) are placed in different positions (of power) according to the value of their capital at stake in that field. The way these individuals interact with each other is how specific fields are then built. In the “field” of the Summit, different kinds of capital could be determined according to: origin, age, gender, prestige, type of organization (donor or beneficiary), ability to communicate (language), as well as years of experience in the field, amongst others.

Now to tie these two things together. I understood #ShiftThePower to be another way of imploring the field to flatten traditional power dynamics, a suggestion that philanthropy and development would be done more effectively if the position (of power) is the same for everyone involved, regardless of the capital at stake for each. And community philanthropy is one vehicle that may achieve this: when power dynamics are flattened, all actors are regarded as having the same value. So, donors, beneficiaries, men, women, experts, community leaders, developed and developing countries, English-speakers and others, young people (beginners) as well as those with several years of experience (experts), would be valued as equal.

But did we #ShiftThePower?

Although the intention of shifting the power was clear in the discourse of the Summit, what actually happened in Johannesburg? Were we able to #ShiftThePower? Did we at least start moving in that direction, or not?

The sense that I got – from many different participants – was a general frustration and fatigue as we continue to go about our business “as usual.” All too often, potential grantees are cast in the role of “pleasing and selling” a particular project to a donor, who brings with them their own set of norms and areas of interest. Traditionally it is the donor who plays the role of expert by determining if a specific project is: innovative, replicable, sustainable and has potential for positive social impact. But stories, presentations and conversations from the Summit made it clear that community philanthropy is flipping this agenda by casting potential grantees – who, after all, possess the local experience, know-how and networks – as the experts. The value and experience that local actors (practitioners, researchers, etc.) bring to the table should logically be allowing them to define the agenda. This was heard loud and clear in Johannesburg.  

Of course language continues to be a consideration and, it must be said, those who were able to communicate in the Summit language (English) proficiently were probably the participants who were able to #ShiftThePower the most. By telling the touching stories of their struggles and sharing the amazing successes of their work, they were able to prove what can actually happen when individual capital is valued equally, and asymmetrical power dynamics are broken down.

But I do feel very strongly that the Summit did mark the beginning of something important. With the #ShiftThePower agenda being placed front and centre, and the voices of powerful community philanthropy practitioners laced throughout the agenda, it is now abundantly clear that ours is not a field that can be ignored any longer. Although in practice I am sure asymmetries of power will continue to be present in our work, at least we have identified and named where this asymmetry lies (and how detrimental it can be). And with any kind of change, the shift we are requesting won’t happen overnight – but if we repeat the #ShiftThePower mantra loudly and consistently enough, it must eventually become practice.

So…now what? How do we #ShiftThePower in reality?

All of this leads me to my main reflection: that #ShiftThePower can only be achieved if we are ready to #HumbleThePower. In reality, working with humility will require overcoming ego: from donors, who bring funding and diverse experience to the table; from “experts” who bring specific knowledge and capacity; from community leaders and community philanthropy practitioners, who bring tailored local knowledge, etc. These actors, of course, all have roles to play: but the Summit made me wonder what it would look like if all of their inputs were weighed and valued equally?

I recognize myself in the last group, of those working in the community. I dare say that if we are truly trying to be humble in our work, then we must also be willing to accept the invisibility of our work. This invisibility is the result of the empowerment of community leaders themselves, for whom our work aims to serve. The same flattening of power we demand from donors and external experts must be the same flattening of power that we exercise in our daily work with those who surround us. 

The Summit posed these questions around power, but now we must all be willing to walk the talk, no matter if we are wearing the hat of donor or recipient, beginner or expert, respecting the capital that all actors in the equation offer. Community philanthropy, when done right, requires a renunciation of ego from all participants, allowing those involved to recognize “the other”, to appreciate different experiences, to live, feel and value other’s capital – and thus, to build community on a new basis. No one said that this would be easy, indeed the word “revolution” was used by a number of speakers. But perhaps the overturning of unjust structures may be achieved if everyone simply began to value each other – and the capital each person offers – more.

Ultimately, I’d like to finish this reflection by recognizing how fortunate I was to be able to be there in person for what will surely be a turning point for community philanthropy, and by thanking all of those who were a part of it, whatever hat they wear.

Reflections on the Global Summit on Community Philanthropy from Fabiana Hernández-Abreu, Fondo Región Colonia. Fabiana is also a Board Member of the IberoAmerican Network of Community Foundations. This blog is also available in Spanish.