The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy recently produced a thought provoking report concerning the necessity for philanthropic organizations, both small and large, to recognize and take time to self-assess the organizational power structures and daily operations in order to produce strategies to ensure equity within.  By changing the power structures within an organization, foundations and nonprofits are more likely to achieve equity within the communities they work with and serve, and be able to recognize their own power and privilege within society.

The Power Moves Guide, a dynamic and power challenging guide produced by the NCRP, provides an overview of a topic regarding Power and Privilege an organization may be facing, best practices guidelines, discussion questions, tools you can use, and a wide array of resources to use to create change within a philanthropic organization. Beyond the straightforward and helpful tools they provide for foundations and nonprofits, the insights regarding how to Build Power: assessing whether a grantmakers support helps build and shift power, Share Power: how a grantmaker must share power with stakeholders and grantees to ensure mutual trust, and Wield Power: how to not only expand financial capital but to enhance social, moral and intellectual capital within an organization and then with the communities served.  In order to establish real change, organizations must reflect on their power through examining their structure, process, and actual contributions they are making to eventually leverage power and change within the communities they serve.

When an organization takes time to self-assess their own structure, their forms of action, and how they actually establish change in the community, they are not only building a dialogue about power and privilege within the organization, but creating a mindset that a drive for changing the systems in society is what justice focused philanthropy is truly about. To learn more and even participate in the “Power Moves: You essential philanthropy assessment guide for equity and justice” read NCRP full report here.