Grantmakers everywhere are looking for meaningful ways to engage diverse community members in important decisions. But many have struggled to engage new voices in deep, well-informed conversations. For the philanthropic sector to be truly community-driven in its programs, funding areas and policies, new tools and tactics are needed.

Lottery-selected panels are gaining traction worldwide as a way for governments to engage their residents in collaborative and inclusive policy decisions. This 50-year-old panel-style model is a democratic innovation that puts a diverse cross-section of everyday people at the heart of complex decisions. Utilization of this model has resulted in more inclusive and collaborative community engagement in communities across the globe.

Here's how Lottery-selected panels work:

• Participants are selected using a democratic lottery, also known as a representative random sample or sortition. This ensures that many different diversities are represented – a sort of “community in one room.”
• In-depth deliberation sets a new standard for productive collaboration, proactive inclusion, fairness and respect across differences.

Join Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington for this info session that explores the transformative potential of this model in the philanthropic sector. After the information session, participants can choose to take a more in-depth, participatory two-part training series later in the fall to begin putting these concepts into practice.

Facilitators

Alex Renirie, Program Co-Director, Healthy Democracy

Alex co-leads program development and process design at Healthy Democracy, a US-based nonpartisan nonprofit that brings together everyday people – selected by democratic lottery – to tackle tough policy questions. She coordinates Health Democracy’s complex public processes and manages partnerships with deliberative democracy practitioners in the US and abroad.

Since 2019, Alex has served on four Healthy Democracy projects in various capacities, including as a moderator, process designer and project manager. Prior to joining the Healthy Democracy team, she worked for over a decade in public policy advocacy and organizing.

Grace Taylor, Operations Director, Healthy Democracy

Grace manages finances and operations for Healthy Democracy. She brings close to three decades of experience in nonprofit management and organizational leadership to the team, having served as a strategic planning consultant for numerous Portland-area nonprofits and managed operations and finances for Rural Organizing Project and Vibrant Village Foundation. Earlier in her career she was a grassroots social justice organizer and international solidarity activist.

Eligibility

This program is open to Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington members and nonmembers.