Beyond the Day-to-Day: Creating Space for Rural Funders to Connect
Last year, Philanthropy Northwest hosted the Together in Divided Times Rural Cohort to bring rural funders together to discuss challenges of the time. Because rural organizations rely on each other to sustain and cultivate their communities, when divides form it’s important that they are addressed to maintain strong bonds between neighbors.
Through peer learning and fellowship, cohort participants better understood how to manage ideological differences in their communities in a way that led to sustainable and productive outcomes. They shared knowledge in a safe space while exploring how racial, social and economic disparities impacted the regions they serve.
Because relationships are core to rural communities, the cohort was structured to foster relationship building and resource development. Michaela Brown, a program manager with Philanthropy Northwest and facilitator of the cohort, gives some background on her experience leading it.
“Our members are advancing their mission and we [Philanthropy Northwest] understand our capacity as a convener. Our space-holding and facilitative capacity offered the unique opportunity for staff members of rural foundations to participate alongside board members and exchange stories, strategies and support. This occurred across three time zones,” says Michaela. “We also know our facilitators curated a container that asked funders to consider their work from different angles and do a considerable amount of connecting, theming and weaving that allowed similarities across different communities to emerge and be further explored.”
Max Gimbel, director of rural community building at the Ford Family Foundation, used his time in the cohort to strengthen his professional network and reflect on the importance of peer learning. “Peer learning is particularly important for rural funders as there are fewer of us and we are so dispersed throughout the region,” says Max. “We can become isolated, caught in the endless doing or stuck in our echo chambers. I’m grateful to Philanthropy Northwest for their efforts that nurture collaborative action and relationship building.”
Peer learning is particularly important for rural funders as there are fewer of us and we are so dispersed throughout the region.
Max
As Max mentioned, the daily grind gradually isolates professionals from their larger sector network, creating silos, missed opportunities and limited views of how to address community issues. Philanthropy Northwest believes the best way to combat these silos is by creating intentional affinity spaces like the the rural cohort where peer learning can flourish.
Peer learning and affinity spaces help the sector combat feelings of isolation because the opportunity to gather with peers is akin to professional recess.
Michaela
“The sector tries not to operate in silos, but there still is the tendency to get caught in the day-to-day. Peer learning and affinity spaces help the sector combat feelings of isolation because the opportunity to gather with peers is akin to professional recess,” says Michaela. “It’s a semi-structured break intended to give the opportunity to connect, share and re-oxygenate. We hope our peer learning and affinity spaces feel responsive, relevant and relational to maximize the learning and care that is exchanged in the space.”
Ultimately, the participants’ decision to join this cohort was a decision they made for themselves professionally but also for the regions they serve. They stand as proof that even in challenging times and when faced with adversity, the answer is found in community.
“One of my favorite aspects of any programming is the relationship building that brings together a diversity of people across organizations, positions and geographies to connect around a topic they care deeply about. The funders who came together to participate in our rural funders cohort care profoundly about their communities. Throughout the cohort, the facilitators created a container to surface peer learning and strategies for navigating barriers to advancing equitable and trust-based practices in their communities,” says Michaela. “While all the participants have to operate within contexts that aren’t always amenable, each organization gradually has developed internal capacities and, in some cases, programmatic innovations to foster community connection, ground in shared frameworks or develop the interpersonal skills to maneuver thoughtfully in complexity.”
Philanthropy Northwest was honored to host this cohort for rural funders in the Northwest and looks forward to continuing this work through convening our quarterly Rural Funders Group.
