Photo: Comua Network
Graciela Hopstein, executive director of Comuá, is preparing to leave the Network in September after seven years in office. There were many accomplishments and advancements from 2017 to 2024. Throughout this period, the Network consolidated itself as a strategic political actor in the Brazilian and international philanthropic ecosystems, but there have also been numerous challenges.
In this interview, Graciela highlights the most important milestones in Comuá’s growth during her tenure, talks about the challenges and opportunities, and also about the future.
“The Network has excellent growth prospects, with the consolidation of its role in the philanthropy ecosystem. But it will have to pay close attention to an adverse scenario, with the rise and expansion of the extreme right in the world and in Brazil, and visible setbacks in rights agendas, which could lead to a retraction of the resources available to socio-environmental justice philanthropy, despite the emergent situation. However, the Network is very well positioned to face this scenario, but there is a lingering concern about the scarcity of financial resources, which are still not readily accessible to civil society.”
How would you describe the Network when you took over as executive director, and now as your tenure nears its end?
When I took over as coordinator in 2017, the Network was immersed in a deep crisis, as it had experienced many management problems during its first five years, which had an impact on its performance and on its members’ engagement, not least because the continuation of its activities was in question. The financial situation was also quite delicate. Besides the internal challenges, there were external challenges as well. Since its foundation in 2012, the Network had a significant impact on the philanthropy ecosystem, since its members raised discussions about agendas that were considered uncomfortable – focusing on the fight against racism, gender issues, environmental issues, working with groups such as indigenous peoples, quilombola populations – proposing very different forms of action and visions of the field, because it was made with and for the movements, which is the complete opposite of traditional philanthropy. As an innovative, distributive philanthropy proposing to support civil society, especially political minorities, the Network came to shake up the sector. Initially, the Network had a much closer relationship with international philanthropy, bearing in mind that a big chunk of the resources managed by the members at the time, and still today, come from there. Getting closer to the Brazilian philanthropy ecosystem was also a challenge we were faced with back then, so we started the process of networking with GIFE (Group of Institutes, Foundations and Companies) and ABCR (Brazilian Association of Fundraisers), through partnerships and by participating in events and debates connected with Brazilian philanthropy.
We also had to mobilize resources for the Network, which was undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges. During the first nine months of my tenure, I ended up working on a voluntary basis, which meant that I was overburdened by my job, since not only did I have to deal with the organization’s challenges, but also support myself financially. When I took over the coordination of the Network, I was aware of this situation, but I was convinced that it had huge potential to contribute to the field, and so it could not close. I could not accept that we had “swam that far only to die on the beach”. I say this because it should be noted that I have followed the Network’s history since its creation, as I was a member first, representing the Rio Institute, one of its founding organizations.
That being said, I can assure you that the Network I took over in 2017 and the one I leave now, in 2024, are very different. When I took over the Network’s coordination, it consisted of nine organizations, which were not even fully in sync, because it took us a while to find our identity and common ground. The Network started out as a space for sharing between peers, for learning from one another, but today its role is quite different, as it is now a political actor in the philanthropy ecosystem. And being a political actor has created new demands, calling for actions to strengthen the members’ capacities, tackle challenges related to communication, political positioning, and the production of knowledge. Its growth is seen not only in the number of members (there are now 18 of us), but also in the Network’s program area and, above all, its political agenda.
Today, the Network has significant resources and important funders. Building a new identity was also crucial to allow for this change of role. The renaming and rebranding processes were aimed at consolidating its activities and positioning. Today the Network relies on an executive team – in the early years, I worked virtually alone, supported by a number of consultancies – with an established governance system, and it is recognized at the national, regional and international levels.
What is your assessment of the Network’s growth over the years?
The Network’s growth has followed and reflected the growth of its member organizations, which has been very conspicuous in terms of their ability to mobilize resources, donate, coordinate and create innovative dynamics. In the beginning there was a gap between the growth of the members and a Network that was weakened. The strengthening of the Network went hand in hand with the growth of independent philanthropy. My assessment is that there has been a consolidation of independent philanthropy in Brazil.
What strategies and milestones would you highlight in this process?
The book “Philanthropy for Social Justice, Civil Society and Social Movements in Brazil,” a collection of articles with an strong participation by members and partners from the sector, which I organized and launched in 2018, was surely a milestone because it showed that the Network was still alive and had a lot to contribute to the field of philanthropy.
The strategic planning executed in 2019 was another important milestone, because it provided us with direction, advice and guidelines for effective action. We had a plan of where we wanted to go, built with the members’ participation. And that was another challenge we faced at the time, which the Network has long tackled: the engagement of its member organizations. We have made major strides through planning, including in terms of the organizations’ involvement in its political project.
There are some very important turning points in this trajectory. At the beginning of my administration, the relationship with GIFE was extremely important (especially under José Marcelo and Neca Setubal), which is a major partner that embraced the community philanthropy agenda. We accomplished a great deal together, consolidating the relationship with a strategic actor in the sector. Another highlight was the mobilization of significant resources with funders who continue supporting us to this day: the Inter-American Foundation and Porticus. And I would venture to say that the big turning point happened in 2021, when the Network joined the Giving for Change Alliance, tied to the Dutch Cooperation, which allowed us to create the Advocacy Program and give much more visibility to the work that we were already doing, in terms of the production of knowledge, political positioning and communication.
The Network’s tenth anniversary seminar marked a before and after in terms of positioning, showing that in some way the Network was and still is relevant in the Brazilian and international philanthropy ecosystem, and has much to add and contribute.
And particularly in the political arena, I’d like to mention a few important moments. When I took over the Network in 2017, we were in the midst of a complex political crisis in Brazil, which got increasingly worse up until the Bolsonaro government. Then we faced the pandemic, which was extremely disruptive and mobilizing for everyone, including the Network’s member organizations. These situations were relevant in terms of engagement, cohesion, and the creation of a common identity and collaborative strategies, not only within the Network, but also with the entire philanthropy ecosystem. There was a consolidation of the importance of giving to civil society, awareness was raised among citizens of the importance of creating mechanisms to assist, compensate and support those who are most vulnerable. Naturally, this triggered a whole movement within the philanthropy field, which effectively opened its purse strings to make important investments. And this also had a positive impact on the Network and its members.
After 2022, we entered into a different phase, which, although much more interesting for democracy and our agendas, asymmetrically, the philanthropic sector started losing the collaborative strength it had built up at that point. And I am not referring to the Network, which continues, increasingly so, to strengthen its collaboration, but to the ecosystem, which has been driven much more by competition and rivalry than collaboration. So, challenges still exist. But clearly, the Network is much better positioned to deal with all of it.
What are the prospects for the future?
The Network has excellent growth prospects. But it will have to pay close attention to an adverse scenario, with the rise and expansion of the extreme right in the world and in Brazil, and the possibility that the resources available to philanthropy could retract. The Network is very well positioned to face this scenario, despite a lingering concern about what will happen with the financial resources, which are not readily accessible to civil society.
I believe that Jonathas Azevedo’s leadership will also bring new perspectives and standings. As a young person who is quite familiar with the Network, its members and partners, and considering the synergy of his visions with the work that we have been doing, I am sure he will ensure the continuity of the work, while at the same time bringing fresh new ideas.
As for my future prospects, I hope to continue collaborating with the social sector, with the field of philanthropy, but from a different position. I am thinking about working as a consultant, producing knowledge, establishing partnerships from another viewpoint. This collaborative network of partnerships, the social capital that has been built up cannot be lost. I think the Network’s moment calls for a renewal of leadership, which leaves a different mark.
Because, in short, I believe we have risen from the ashes, we are really growing, occupying a relevant space, we’re recognized and gaining visibility, and now it’s time to see how the Network is going to keep up and consolidate this growth.
