As nonprofits continue to weather a storm of funding cuts, policy shifts, and increases in demand for services, many funders are trying to use every tool in their toolbox to support their grantees. One important and perhaps overlooked tool funders can leverage is convening grantees for connection, learning, support, and collaboration.
We at Community Wealth Partners have worked with nearly 100 nonprofit organizations who have participated in one of our scenario planning cohorts this year. One consistent theme we’ve heard from these cohorts is appreciation to be able to come together with peer organizations during this challenging year. Many nonprofits have also expressed a desire to continue to convene with peers for connection, learning, and support.
For funders considering using their convening power as another way to support grantees through a challenging time, here are three recommendations.
1. Provide space for peer connection and support.
Just knowing you are not alone in the challenges you are working through can be a form of support for some leaders. To create the conditions for authentic connection and support, convenings need to hold ample space for relationships and trust building. This typically happens over time—not necessarily in a one-time event.
From 2019-2021 we facilitated a learning cohort with chief operating officers (COOs) that were grantees in the William and Flora Hewlett’s U.S. Democracy portfolio. Initially, the group planned to focus on issues related to organizational growth. Inevitably, those conversations expanded as they faced the realities of leading through a pandemic, a presidential election, and a racial reckoning. The monthly space to come together with peers became invaluable for these leaders as they worked to shift to virtual operations, shore up systems in advance of an election, and tend to various other needs that arose during a tumultuous 2020.
2. Consider when convening could be a helpful offering in addition to funding.
How well do grantees in your funding portfolios know each other? Funders can play a helpful role connecting organizations that are working within a similar issue area but may feel siloed from one another. While convening should never feel like a burdensome additional requirement for funding, we’ve seen that convening grantees can be extremely valuable for nonprofits when its tailored in a way that meets their needs.
The RISE (Resilient, Inclusive, and Sustainable Economies) program is a three-year investment in 22 organizations that are building economic resilience in Dallas, Texas, and Miami-Dade County, Florida. Participating organizations receive general operating support, leadership coaching, and consulting partners to help strengthen core areas of their organizational infrastructure. An in-person convening, fully funded by the program, offered a powerful complement to these supports, bringing nonprofit leaders together to share challenges, exchange practical tools, and learn from one another’s approaches. By covering participation costs, the program made it possible for grantees to step away from day-to-day demands and make space for reflection, learning, and renewal.
3. Connect peers with resources for shared learning.
While synchronous learning may not be the right fit for every group, when group members have common questions, it can be helpful to learn and think about application of learning alongside peers. That’s been one of the benefits of our scenario planning cohorts—not only are nonprofit leaders creating their own plans, but they’re able to see how their peers are applying the framework to their work and gaining insights from that as well.
We facilitated the Networks for Education Equity cohort to support education networks focused on supporting better outcomes for Black and Latino students and students experiencing poverty. The community of practice provided a space for networks to learn from peers, pilot new approaches, and inspire further learning and collective action. The community of practice was meeting during 2022-2024—a time where some state departments of education were banning equity-based language and mandating changes to educational materials. Cohort members were wondering how to adapt to meet these new rules while still staying true to their mission. We were able to bring in frameworks and movement-building strategies to help participants consider how they could continue to make progress in a changing context. The outside expertise, coupled with peer support, helped bolster these organizations as they navigated changes.
Now is the time for funders to use their convening power with intention. By creating space for peer connection, investing in shared learning, and backing implementation with resources, funders can do more than ease immediate pressures—they can help nonprofits build the relationships, knowledge, and capacity that will sustain them for the long term.