Francesca Mereta, from Assifero, participated this year in the European Forum Alpbach, representing ECFI. As an experienced support organisation practitioner, she brought a wealth of knowledge of the community foundation field not only in Italy but also, from her interactions with ECFI, across Europe. ECFI was invited to participate in the Forum Lab Days and to join a group of selected leaders from the field of philanthropy and impact investment in a reflection about roles as individuals and representatives of organisations working towards a sustainable future. Her presence enabled the voice and perspective of community foundations to be brought to this high-level discussion. Below Francesca offers a brief reflection on her European Forum Aplbach experience.
“What would be the worst thing that could happen if we trust those we support and act accordingly by providing flexible funding?” “How could we speed up the funding process, and who should drive the decision-making process?” “Being aware of our distinctive role, how can we collaborate?” These were just a few of the burning questions that came up in the immersive workshop “Bold Funding for Systems Change,” one of the hundreds of events of this year’s European Forum Alpbach that brought together leaders from across the philanthropic world to envision a bolder philanthropic system.
Deeply immersed in nature, in the heart of Tyrol (Austria), this thoughtfully crafted safe space represented an incredible opportunity to discuss and envision new ways for foundations to act boldly. We were asked to participate there as humans, not just in our professional role, but as individuals with our many shaping identities. It was a powerful experience. Here are a few things that resonated with me in connection with community foundations and the local level philanthropy.
First, several questions revolved around the power dynamics within philanthropy and how concretely we can overturn them, giving agency to communities and those affected by the problems we seek to solve. Community foundations are extraordinary vehicles to invest in for this shift, given their bottom-up approach, community ownership, and leadership.
Secondly, can we be bold enough to go beyond outcomes measurement as the key to success but rather focus on the processes? Can we emphasise how things are done more than what is done? By talking with practitioners from across the community philanthropy field, I hear the challenges in making understand to foundations and donors the potential of their organisation and the added value in the attentive listening in the community-building process and organising they foster. It is the “invisible” work that requires time, commitments, and resources that do not produce measurable results in the short term. But it has a long-lasting impact.
Finally, a recurring theme over my few days at the Forum was the relevance of the local level. From a panel dedicated to the role of cities in addressing the climate crisis to side conversations and international bazaar, with people from different countries bringing local food and stories to share with everyone, I felt that Alpbach effectively conveyed the global and local dimensions. Territories are extraordinary hubs where we can experiment in thought and action and be braver in search of systemic solutions that address the root causes of our societal problems. Community foundations deeply rooted in their localities can be powerful partners and democratic drivers for seeking systemic responses that can be scaled up.
The workshop was an invitation to be fearless, abandon our self-imposed limitations, and spur ourselves and our foundations to act bolder. And I leave you with a question posed to the group during the workshop. At first, it threw me off, but a few days later, I sat with it, feeling a powerful sensation and push. “What would you do differently today if you had just 30% more of courage?”
Francesca Mereta, Assifero / ECFI
September 2023
