Raising the Bar for BIPOC Nonprofits

ATLANTA—If waving a magic wand would in any way improve the support given nonprofits led by and serving Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), Maria Azuri would be the first to wave it.

As it is, she has used her impressive breadth of experience, knowledge and connections to be the first to partner respected grantmakers with local BIPOC nonprofits in an innovative new program that uses coaching and technology to build their capacity and secure their sustainability.

Azuri, the director of capacity building and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Network for Good, introduced Network for Good and its Jumpstart Capacity Building^SM program to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, United Way of Greater Atlanta and Jesse Parker Williams Foundation in early 2020. Jumpstart is a year-long program that provides integrated technology tools, planning, guidance and one-on-one coaching to help nonprofits build fundraising capacity, diversify revenue, and sustain and grow their programs.

By April 2021, the foundations had joined with Network for Good to support the participation of 15 local, BIPOC-led nonprofits in Jumpstart. Aware of their success, the Cobb Community Foundation recently joined the Network for Good to support Cobb-based BIPOC nonprofit organizations, making this the first 4-funder Jumpstart partnership collaborative in the country.

“We know there’s a huge, disparate gap in what BIPOC leaders have received to support their work,” Azuri said. “BIPOC development directors of BIPOC-led nonprofits receive four time less in fundraising support than their white counterparts, even in the same issue areas. Jumpstart helps them increase their connections with individual donors and raise funds more effectively. It strengthens their sustainability.”

Azuri, ever mindful of the challenges the pandemic has thrust on nonprofits, the pressure on them to meet growing community needs and the deep disparities they face in funding, believes BIPOC and other small nonprofit leaders must have access to the leading-edge tools and be included in the capacity-building opportunities they have been historically - and are still too often- excluded from. Increasing fundraising knowledge while also having the key tools necessary to build from is the central foundation to long-term impact.

“Nonprofits compete a lot for foundation dollars through grant writing and in-kind support, but there’s more to fundraising than receiving grants or getting a check,” she said. “Nonprofits with a heavy reliance on foundation support are at risk of changes in philanthropic trends outside their control. Connecting with all stakeholders and constituents in diverse, creative and consistent ways leads to stronger buy-in and ultimately, a healthier nonprofit financial outlook.

“We coinvest with our grantmaking and foundation partners to support nonprofit fundraising in a collaborative way. As partners, we not only teach them how to fish but also provide the leading, evidence-based tools to be effective and efficient.”

Azuri, as a part-time instructor in the Andrew Young School, also builds this capacity in future nonprofit leaders.

“Students, too, need to understand the full aspects within fundraising and grant writing, the nuances and how technology is essential to both,” she said.

Azuri talks with her students about the larger diversity, equity and inclusion considerations within this framework as well: “We know that highlighting the disparate funding that Latinx- and BIPOC leaders receive is part of the work necessary in reshaping philanthropy. This was also an important consideration for the grantmakers we’ve partnered with here in Atlanta. Diverse voices at the table with lived experiences bring about more relevant and effective solutions – it’s about access and inclusion.

“Preparing a more diverse fundraising workforce in place, by focusing on inclusion and access to professional development, while also highlighting the systemic barriers of access will help stamp out ‘philanthropic redlining’.”

Azuri, a formerly undocumented Latina and now naturalized U.S. citizen, is herself a shining example to others: a Latinx leader bringing leading funders together for deeper impact where it's needed most by forging authentic relationships and centering the voice of diverse leaders to increase access and inclusion.

“Making BIPOC nonprofit funding more agile through financial capacity-building is a true testament to the power of collaboration in finding innovative ways to meet deep needs, and Network for Good is leading the way,” she said. “I’m proud of the role I’m in and bringing together these innovative funders that are supporting Latinx and BIPOC Atlanta nonprofits and also proud that I get to continue helping our students go on to make ways for equitable good. I’m a very proud alum.”