Prove Yourself Beyond all Obstacles: Grantmaking

For many of us, it might not have been so long ago that we wrote that first big check, when the excitement of our first apartment was slightly tarnished by the reality of first-month-plus-security-deposit, prompting a tremble as we signed away a large portion of our new income.  Now, the young grantmakers among us may be asked to give input into grants far larger, perhaps more than we’ve yet earned since that day.  It can feel incongruous to have that kind of influence in our work lives, when the stakes are so much higher than in the financial decisions we make in our everyday lives.

Last month, Anastasia wrote about the obstacles that face young fundraisers, with age, lack of experience, and a heavy reliance on technology for communication among them.  Young grantmakers confront many of the same obstacles, but the problems these obstacles can cause may be different and the solutions vary. 

As Anastasia said, your comparative youth may cause others to underestimate your abilities.  This becomes particularly complicated when a grantee is doing the underestimating.  Grantor-grantee relationships, under the best of circumstances, can involve loaded power dynamics – the person controlling the purse-strings often also retains an uneven share of the power, whether or not he or she intends to.  If the grantmaker is much younger than the grantee, this dynamic may conflict with the typical balance of power that results from age differences.  While standard power imbalances may be problematic, at least they’re predictable; introducing two opposing imbalances may cause a degree of tension or uncertainty.

While it would be better if neither age nor finances caused us to feel at an advantage or disadvantage to others, in this case try to allow the two to cancel each other out, leading to a more equitable balance of power.  Be respectful of the grantee and the greater knowledge he or she likely has on the subject matter that has brought you together, while maintaining confidence in the value of what you bring to the table.  Be sure to be as informed as possible about the grantee and the subject matter, both out of respect to the grantee and to minimize the gap between the grantee’s knowledge and your own.

Just as young fundraisers confront a lack of experience, this issue is likely to be problematic for most young grantmakers.  It’s unlikely that you’ve had much experience giving away large sums of money.  While increasing your experience in your current job just takes time, you can also gain relevant exposure through activities outside of the work day.  Toya Williford, a Program Officer at the Independence Community Foundation and Chair of the Steering Committee for the New York City chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP), a professional association for young grantmakers, advocates for this strategy.  To confront the challenges of being a young grantmaker, she says, “I … try to attend and participate in various workshops and training sessions to increase my knowledge base.  I participate in peer network groups, like EPIP, to find out who else is out there and how we can support each other.  Volunteer opportunities also provide a great outlet for me to explore my interests and build my skill set.”

Many young grantmakers, in particular, are lucky in that they may be operating within a fairly fixed universe.  You may work almost exclusively within a specific set of focus areas or with a limited portfolio of grantees.  You can learn a large amount about the relatively small slice of the world within which you’re operating.  Even more, you can learn a significant amount about your grantees in particular.  Mitigate you lack of experience with information.  See Elisabeth’s July “Top 10 Tips for Young Grantmakers” for more advice on this issue.

Anastasia also highlighted some of the challenges that reliance on technology for communication can bring.  She pointed out that you miss the opportunity to really connect with your colleagues, and especially your superiors, if you rarely communicate with them face-to-face.  Follow her advice with regard to your own colleagues. 

You can work this problem to your advantage with your grantees, though.  Because much of your contact with your grantees, particularly early in your relationship, may be via phone or email, they don’t necessarily need to know quite how young or new to the field you actually are.  They will perceive you to be as professional and confident as you sound.  Speak slowly – I once had a prospective grantee ask me how old I was, after the second time she had to ask me to speak more slowly.  Don’t be deceptive, of course, but recognize this opportunity to be judged based on your behavior, rather than your appearance.

Finally, recognize that there are assets to being in the early phases of your career.  As Toya says, “Don’t be afraid to take a risk – we are young and now is the time to explore and find out what life has to offer.”

Jessica Stannard-Friel is a Director in the Philanthropy Division of Changing Our World, Inc., which assists corporations in designing and implementing strategic philanthropy programs. Jessica is also a co-editor of FLiP, and the co-editor of FLiP’s June/July Issue entitled: “The Ask”

Comments

[Albert Ruesga]

Thanks for this article. I hope also that your younger readers will think about the ways they can change and inflect the current culture of grantmaking. People new to the field are understandably concerned about "fitting in" and earning the respect of their peers. But to what extent does this prevent the field from evolving? What's unique and important about the perspective of younger grantmakers that us older folks need to hear about?