How We Work
Social justice, frontline, historically excluded organizations are chronically underfunded by traditional philanthropy and need support to access different types of capital to build long-term power.
Democratizing Philanthropy Project works directly with organizations to develop the knowledge, experience, and tools they need to build a larger activist base and independent revenue streams.
We work alongside organizations to build sustainable, people-powered fundraising programs—strengthening list growth, donor conversion, and long-term revenue through hands-on support and real-time implementation.
We learn by doing.
Interested? Contact us today.
Participating organizations join a cohort designed to build sustainable people-powered fundraising systems, combining interactive workshops, hands-on coaching, and peer learning to support real-time implementation.
The purpose of Democratizing Philanthropy Project is to shift power to organizations chronically underfunded and working on the frontlines around the systemic issues facing our nation. We do this by giving them the ability to build a powerful, lasting small donor revenue stream and network of engaged activists and donors they can rely on.
Growing and converting supporter bases into active members and donors allows organizations to build independent power, thus expanding their reach and generating sustainable revenue that reduces reliance on traditional philanthropy.
Cohort-Based Learning
We bring together cohorts of organizations working to advance equity and address systemic challenges facing communities across the United States.
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Cohorts typically run for 5–7 months. Each cohort combines:
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Interactive group workshops
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Hands-on coaching
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Peer learning and collaboration
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Ongoing support between sessions
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Capacity-building grants to support implementation
What Organizations Build
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Through the cohort, organizations work in real time to strengthen their fundraising systems and grow their base of support.
Participants focus on:
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Growing and engaging their supporter base
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Converting supporters into active members and small-dollar donors
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Building core fundraising infrastructure, including welcome series and segmentation
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Strengthening messaging and storytelling to drive engagement and action
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Testing and iterating on fundraising strategies to improve performance over time
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Our Approach
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The Accelerator is designed to support hands-on learning and implementation, not just training.
Organizations:
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Apply new strategies in real time
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Learn from peers facing similar challenges
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Experiment, test, and refine their approach
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Build systems that sustain their work beyond the cohort
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Why It Matters:
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​This work is about more than fundraising—it’s about building power. By growing and mobilizing their supporter base, organizations strengthen their ability to act, respond, and sustain their work over time.
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