Part 2! A New Gospel of Wealth for the 21st Century: Urgency, Equity, and Local Power

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Part 2: What If We Redefined Philanthropy?

This isn’t just about money. It’s about reclaiming the soul of giving.

In Part 1, we looked at Marc Suzman’s call for the ultra-wealthy to take urgent action. But this work doesn’t begin or end with billionaires.

Philanthropy belongs to all of us.

We need a new conversation. One that doesn’t just change where the money goes—but shifts who’s seen, who’s heard, and who’s invited to lead.

The Myth of the "Ideal Donor"

We’ve been sold one story about who a donor is: rich, white, male, corporate. We’ve designed systems around this image—who gets asked, who gets thanked, who gets remembered.

But real giving doesn’t live in marble lobbies. It lives in churches, kitchens, and block club meetings. It’s the teacher who gives from every paycheck. The neighbor who always shows up. The community member organizing food drives before anyone asks.

We get to stop deciding who can give—and what giving should look like. Because when we do, we make generosity a gated space.

Generosity is already here. We just need to make room for it to breathe.

And we get to teach our communities that they, too, can give. Not from a place of charity, but from shared power and cultural clarity.

We must imagine what’s possible when communities are the ones driving decisions. Not just offering input—but leading the effort, defining the priorities, and owning the process.

That’s what real community-led philanthropy looks like: trust, autonomy, and shared authority. Not a seat at the table—ownership of the table. That giving is not about charity—it’s about shared power. And it’s personal. It’s intimate. It belongs to all of us.

Creating Opportunities for All

Philanthropy isn’t just about receiving. It’s about belonging. It’s about participating.

If we truly want equity in giving, we must:

• Make it accessible: multilingual, mobile, flexible

• Make it personal: storytelling, relationship, meaning

• Make it reflect the people we serve: not just polished events, but soulful ones

• Make it individualized and unique each and every time

Everyone is a fundraiser. Everyone is a giver. Everyone is a part of this work.

And as we work to diversify our staff, boards, and volunteers, we must also ask: what will we do when our donors diversify too? What do we have in place to support them?

Because systems built to cater to one kind of donor will not serve everyone. And they were never meant to. If we truly believe that generosity lives in every community, we must be ready to welcome it in all its forms—with infrastructure, language, relationships, and reverence.

We must build systems that see anyone as a donor. We must design donor experiences with the unimageable in mind. We say we want to diversify giving, but fail to prepare for the fullness of what that means.

Volunteers, frontline workers, program participants—these folks are often the most invested. If we want a giving culture that reflects reality, we must honor them, include them, and support them to lead.

And when those closest to the work are trusted to lead, we begin to see what’s truly possible—especially in the places that traditional philanthropy often overlooks.

Who Gets to Lead?

Before we talk about leadership, let’s talk about roles. Because there’s a difference between a fundraiser and a philanthropist.

A fundraiser understands how to engage others in generosity. A philanthropist understands the systems, stories, and structures in which that generosity lives. One focuses on the act of giving. The other understands the conditions that make giving necessary.

We need both.

But too often, only one is seen as legitimate. Only one is seen as professional. Only one is centered in boardrooms and decision-making spaces.

We need to widen the frame.

Fundraisers aren’t always in suits. Philanthropy isn’t only managed by executives. The people closest to the work often know how to give best, and therefore get best.

So why are so many being pushed out, silenced, or ignored?

We say we value belonging. But what we really value shows up in who gets to lead, who is protected, and who is believed.

Toxic? No—poisonous.

If we want to change philanthropy, we get to start with the people inside the house.

Belonging is not a value—it’s a practice.

Local Giving Is a Lifeline

Philanthropy can’t only be global. It must be rooted right where we stand.

Right now, small, local, community-led organizations are holding the line. Feeding, housing, protecting, advocating. Especially those led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

These organizations aren’t optional—they are essential.

And yet they’re underfunded, undervalued, and over-relied upon.

Local giving isn’t charity. It’s civic responsibility.

Returning to the Roots

We are practicing Sankofa—reaching back to move forward.

Philanthropy is more than giving money. Its Greek roots—philanthropia, meaning “love for mankind”—remind us that it’s ultimately about loving each person exactly as they are. That love shows up through service, storytelling, organizing, and financial gifts—but it must also show up in how we make space for everyone to play a role in how we care for one another as human beings.

This new vision of philanthropy honors that origin. It invites us to remember, to reclaim, and to reimagine.

Beyond the Frameworks

This vision is bigger than community-based philanthropy. It stretches beyond community-centric fundraising. Those are vital conversations—but this is something more foundational.

This is about rebuilding the soul of giving from the ground up. It’s about reshaping the entire ecosystem—not just who gives, but who is seen as a giver, who gets to ask and how they get to ask, who decides what matters, and who systems are designed to support.

What I’m proposing isn’t a new tool or tactic—it’s a new way forward living in its purest form: relationally, responsibly, without ego or gatekeeping.

A New Way Forward

If we really want to redefine the gospel of wealth, we have to move:

• From legacy to urgency

• From control to trust

• From exclusivity to access

• From charity to co-creation

This is how I do philanthropy. With people. With presence. With love.

And I invite you to do the same.

Putting It into Practice

So how do we take these ideas and turn them into action?

I’m launching a discussion series for funders, organizations, and everyday givers who want to lead differently. Together, we’ll explore:

• How to create inclusive giving practices

• How to welcome all kinds of donors

• How to support staff and volunteers who reflect our communities

• How to build a culture of belonging, not just strategy

If you’ve ever felt this work in your bones—this is your space.

Final Reflection

Philanthropy is not a performance.

It is in our bones. It’s how we show up, tend to each other, and protect what matters most.

We’ve tried to make it neat—to turn it into systems, campaigns, and transactions. But real giving refuses to be domesticated.

Philanthropy is the act of remembering we belong to one another.

It lives in the everyday miracles:

The auntie who braids hair and pays light bills.

The elder who passes down recipes and resistance.

The child who shares their lunch without being told to.

It is not fast. It is not flashy. It is not branded.

It is slow. It is sacred. It is relational.

It exists in the in-between. In the seen and the unseen. In the choice to stay. In the willingness to care.

It’s about who keeps showing up.

It’s about honoring what’s already here. And letting it lead.

Philanthropy is how we be human. Nothing more. Nothing less.