By Camila Guedes
Social justice philanthropy contributes to generating transformation by supporting civil society organizations and social movements in their struggles and promoting access to rights, a fundamental point for the consolidation of democracy.
Communicating these arrangements and translating their potential results to the public is a challenge that brings permanent reflection to the Philanthropy Network for Social Justice (RFJS), especially with regard to two issues: promoting influence on the philanthropic ecosystem to expand resources for these organizations and movements and demonstrate the power that these groups have to promote transformation in their territories and causes.
In the year in which RFJS completes a decade of existence and operations, a new communication strategy has been developed collectively and collaboratively. Alongside a Community of Practices focused on the topic of Communication and Narratives, which involves communicators from member organizations, other spaces have been created to promote permanent connection and exchange and strengthen ties for real network communication.
This articulation makes the RFJS itself stronger and contributes to giving visibility to the work of the funds that make up it, which despite having very defined agendas and maintaining diversity, have in common the search for guaranteeing rights, strengthening civil society and democracy.
Active listening, in order to understand the particularities of each member organization and realize how much they integrate with this framework, has marked this movement of the RFJS in the year 2022, in order to strengthen an impactful communication network that has proven to be increasingly increasingly powerful.
This listening has translated into several connections, including a series of articles with communicators from RFJS organizations, published on the Network's blog, which demonstrate challenges and opportunities in communicating social justice philanthropy.
In this second article in the series with RFJS communicators, we bring you the different communication movements that exist within the networks in which they are inserted, and the importance of this collective action for successful communication.
“At RFJS, which has organizations and funds with different profiles, it is very valuable that we can bring together these different perspectives, from different activities, to strengthen the way we communicate and the content we bring to people. This qualifies our work and even motivates us to think about communication that is truly democratic and fair, because it comes from these different perspectives, including from grassroots organizations,” analyzes Méle Dornelas, communicator at the Instituto Sociedade População e Natureza (ISPN).
For Angélica Basthi, communicator at Aliança entre Fundos, being at RFJS is strategic to enhance the Alliance's communication performance: “The Philanthropy Network for Social Justice is a strategic space for the Alliance and for each of these funds that make up it, because that’s where this initiative was born. For us, being part of RFJS and participating in the communication initiatives that it has been implementing with great success is fundamental, because it enhances our action, which is to show a new, collaborative way of doing philanthropy.”
“For us, being part of RFJS and participating in the communication initiatives that it has been implementing with great success is fundamental, because it enhances our action, which is to show a new, more collaborative way of doing philanthropy.” Angélica Basthi – Communicator of the Alliance between Funds
“Being within RFJS means being able to strengthen institutionally and also the people within the organization, so that these people can strengthen the transformation processes that the organization has to carry out in the communities and territories in which we work. In this context, communication is essential”, points out Diane Sousa, president of Fundação Baixada Maranhense.
Alliance between funds
A very concrete experience of how networking strengthens the communication of social justice philanthropy is the Alliance between Funds, which emerged as a strategic and innovative action in the course of exchanges and dialogues between the Baobá Fund for Racial Equity, the Brazilian Human Rights Fund and the Casa Socioambiental Fund on obstacles and lessons learned in strengthening the agenda for social justice during the covid pandemic -19.
The Alliance proposes collaborative philanthropy for social justice, and its goal is to promote greater direct funding for indigenous peoples, quilombola communities and other traditional peoples made more vulnerable by the pandemic.
“This collaborative action is the essence and practice of this initiative that is the Alliance. It is also what we consider our vision of the future, our present and our future. Only through collaborative and networked action is Alliance communication possible. It is a living experience and expresses a real possibility of transformation through joint actions. We are in a time of communication collectives, but the Alliance between Funds is something bolder, as it brings this perspective of collaborative action between funds and between the communications that make up it. This has been an incredible experience” analyzes Angélica.
“I have already participated in other collective actions, but this one is different because we realize how much strength, potential and reach communication really has when we are together acting in this collaborative perspective.”
Angélica highlights that the Alliance's communication operates in a network due to the very essence and nature of the arrangement between the funds that make it up. The channels of the three member organizations are used to publicize the actions through common communication, in permanent alignment and connection.
“Everything we produce is shared. When we use institutional channels such as the website, we also operate in a network. We have a page that references this initiative on the websites of the three funds. We are in permanent dialogue and working permanently in a network. This brings a powerful result”, he analyzes.
Collaboration, listening and collective construction
Collaboration is one of the words we find most throughout the communicators’ testimonies. The strength of the work produced together with other organizations is transformative: whether in the context of RFJS, with funds and community foundations that work to strengthen civil society, or directly with organizations supported by members.
“We communicate with our network based on dialogue. For this dialogue to happen, we are always in regular meetings, we are also in contact through groups on different communication platforms, and we also have a support pact that is, for example, keeping an eye on each other's networks and shared content, to that other organizations can publicize. A lot of information is exchanged about what we are doing and what others may be interested in. For example, whether it is notices, opportunities or movements in parliament that other organizations and networks that are related to advocacy also follow, it is important to have knowledge. So there is also this “hand holding”, in the sense of providing information and data,” says Méle Dornelas, communicator at the Population and Nature Society Institute (ISPN).
In addition to information, a movement highlighted by Méle in these network connections is “collectively thinking about strategies, identifying what each organization has in common with others in terms of objectives – which are often very similar, especially when operating in the same line , in the case of ISPN, socio-environmental”.
Diane Sousa, president of the Baixada Maranhense Institute, points out that strengthening the local network is the strategy they use so that communication is carried out fully: “We work with community communication to strengthen the communities and the territory in which we work. It is a communication made by people for people, such as, for example, taking a photography course in the community so that the community itself can generate products that portray their territory, so that they can communicate their community with the structure they have. We like to be in a network. We understand that an organization, to be able to exist in the way ours is structured, needs networks, resources and people. For us, being in a network is a boost, a place to boost and scale Baixada’s actions.”
“We like being in a network. We understand that an organization, to be able to exist in the way ours is structured, needs networks, resources and people. For us, being in a network is an impetus, a place to boost and scale actions.” Diane Sousa – president of Fundação Baixada
Just like at Instituto Baixada, Redes da Maré understands that using collective spaces for exchange is important to enhance different voices and agendas: “We are part of some local networks that reach other places. We have a very strong communication front, because we understand that it has the potential to show the potential of favela and peripheral territories.” points out Gisele Ribeiro, responsible for institutional relations at Redes da Maré.
Acting in a network, for Gisele, means strengthening agendas and fostering collective articulation: “Acting in a network is fundamental, and it is no surprise that this idea is present in our name. This is precisely what we want to produce in the territory in which we operate, through interaction and coordination with other actors, whether inside or outside that territory. This collaborative communication is important to strengthen the agendas with which we work, giving them visibility.”
Angélica highlights the value of this collaboration in the exchange of experiences, learning and support: “I have been a journalist for 25 years, and in journalism I have experienced several phases of the profession. When I graduated, there was a lot of competitiveness, people fought over agendas and now we have entered an era of exchange. Today, we see how that old interpretation was completely wrong, about the market, about competitiveness, and we understand that it is through collaboration that we overcome difficulties, gain experience, learn and welcome others. This has an immeasurable benefit.”
