This past week Native Ways Federation’s (NWF) Communications and Marketing Manager, Brittany VanSnepson, was invited to attend GivingTuesday’s U.S. Community Leadership Gathering in Indianapolis, Indiana. The function took place over a span of two days and featured a wide variety of nonprofit leaders in attendance while focusing on a variety of topics related to giving.
To kick-off the event, GivingTuesday offered a volunteer opportunity at the local Gleaners Community Food Bank, followed by a tour of the facilities. Shortly after, the entire team congregated for a presentation hosted by the GivingTuesday team that began with a Land Acknowledgement of the Miami, Shawnee, Peoria, Potawatomi, Kickapoo, and Delaware peoples with a recommendation that attendees should visit the local Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. Attendees are also encouraged to engage with the tribal communities themselves, as well.
GivingTuesday’s acknowledgement of Indigenous people at the start of their presentation was a welcomed surprise, made even more meaningful by the fact that they have been intentional about engaging with Native communities through our partnership with GiveNative. If global organizations like GivingTuesday can take the initiative to recognize and partner with NativeTribal people, then it gives us hope that this type of respect could become more commonplace amongst all institutions.
Following the team’s Land Acknowledgment, Celeste Flores Director of GivingTuesday’s United States + Canada Hub expanded upon the importance of making decisions, as an organization and individually, from a place of generosity. She expressed that organizations need to participate in generosity to not just survive but to actively thrive within the philanthropic sector.
“The bigger concept and framework is where the magic happens,” stated Flores. “It has to be rooted in your values and your ‘why’ to make big change.” As an example, Native Ways Federation’s staff and board rely on Indigenous values to guide us in our relationships and our work, both internally and externally, including generosity as a major component. Learn more about our values here.
80% of people use Giving Tuesday as a day to try something new.
*All data provided by GivingTuesday team.
Communities that have a community leader raise 90% more than those that do not.
Flores went on to state that nonprofits put pressure on themselves to have all of the answers, go viral, and repeatedly make a grand impact. However, she reiterated that their biggest power and tool to sustainability are within the communities that they serve.
“Collectively, together, we do more than we could do alone,” stated Flores.
She went on to explore the concept of “scarcity mindset” where those working in the philanthropic sector often feel that there is a finite amount of pie at the table. Yet, she reiterated that generosity is about framing one’s viewpoint from that of an “abundant mindset.” One where there are all sorts of pies at the table—including pies that most haven’t even heard of!
GivingTuesday is an Open Source Movement that places importance on mission over that of brand. It’s a way for nonprofits to further their missions by not competing with one another. Rather, the power and agency gets distributed by working together for a common mission and using one another as powerful resources to learn from.
Building on the idea of working collaboratively, Victoria Leonhardt (Batchewana First Nation, Ojibway) GivingTuesday’s Senior Manager of US + Canada Hub, wrapped up day one by hosting a Building Partnership Panel with three nonprofit leaders across the U.S. The leaders addressed how to look for engaging partnerships, the importance of anecdotal measurements, nonprofit resources, and so much more.
Day two of the gathering took place at Indianapolis Central Public Library and showcased informative content from Travis Brown, Founder and CEO of Mojo Up. Mojo Up is a company that assists their clients in telling their story and reshaping their brand, to make the greatest impact possible. Brown spotlighted some major marketing techniques that Mojo Up utilizes with their own clients and offered tips such as an organization should be circulating and repurposing their content every 90 days.
Travis Brown From Mojo Up
Celeste Flores From GivingTuesday
Tour of Gleaners
Tour of Gleaners
The GivingTuesday Data Team followed with a collective Data Commons where they discussed a wide variety of data initiatives. Those in attendance were first treated to a sneak peak of The Generosity Commission’s latest report that was scheduled for publication that day, which elaborates more on the continued efforts of trying to understand the trends of giving. Then participants discussed Giving Pulse where GivingTuesday compiles a holistic look at trends in giving behavior and perspective through a weekly sampling of 100 Americans every week. Afterwards, they shared information on their quarterly fundraising report made available via their Fundraising Effectiveness Project.
The GivingTuesday Data Team wrapped up the gathering with a Community Research Collaborative activity where attendees analyzed recent GivingTuesday data from their corresponding community’s perspective. This final collaborative effort was a great way to round out a two day gathering centered around partnership and giving of one’s time, effort, and experience.
Ahéhee’! Nya:weh! Pidamaya! Chi Miigwech! Thank you!
Native Ways Federation would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the entire GivingTuesday team for inviting us to this event and providing incredible insight, as well to Gleaners Community Food Bank and the Indianapolis Central Public Library for providing the workspace for the gathering. We would also like to thank Mojo Up for their time and marketing expertise. Last but not least, we’d like to express gratitude to all of our fellow attendees—your willingness to be present and vulnerable allowed this gathering to truly flourish.
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