billsomerville

For nearly 20 years, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation (PVF) founder Bill Somerville has been practicing the values and demonstrating the potential of micro-philanthropy. But there’s something remarkable about Somerville’s micro-philanthropy. It has emerged and flourished absent of any technology more advanced than a fax machine, telephone, and email account.

His recent book, Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker, introduces readers to the joys and effectiveness of small-scale, highly targeted grantmaking designed to support the work of outstanding individuals and innovative ideas.

In Grassroots Philanthropy, Somerville speaks to his target audience in no uncertain terms. He encourages foundation executives, trustees, and program officers: to get out of their offices; to stop pushing papers; to work alongside their grant recipients; and above all, to fund outstanding people instead of well-written grant proposals.

As I read Grassroots Philanthropy, it occurred to me that Somerville did not write the book with a digital native audience in mind. Somerville’s main point is that office towers, unnecessary meetings, paper-laden bureaucracies, and desktop computing have become barriers to effective grantmaking.

Somerville’s critique of the foundation world, which I agree with on most points, has created a blind-spot in this otherwise exemplary philanthropist. What he doesn’t see, but would no doubt welcome, is the emerging role of online communities and social networks to help his “maverick” forms of grantmaking reach their full potential.

Several programs at Philanthropic Ventures Foundation have anticipated the arrival of social action platforms with the same mission. For instance, several years ago PVF initiated a “Fax Grants for Teachers” program. Teachers from the SF Bay Area were invited to request small amounts of funding for classroom projects. Upon receiving the faxed requests, PVF would immediately write a check and send it to the teacher by mail. Sounds like an unplugged version of DonorsChoose to me.

Other programs at PVF have also anticipated the work of new platforms for social action. PVF’s program called Generosity in Action has provided individuals returning from trips abroad with an opportunity to support specific grassroots development projects in the countries they visited. Somerville's description of this program reads similar to the mission statements of GlobalGiving and GiveMeaning. PVF’s unwavering commitment to making grants to individuals in need anticipates the work of ModestNeeds, MicroGiving, and Kiva.

The alignment of PVF’s programs with emerging platforms for social action suggests that Somerville’s embrace of small-scale, highly targeted grantmaking is way ahead of its time. Philanthropic Ventures Foundation has been creating micro-philanthropy programs since before the technology existed to do it on a large scale.

By using social media wisely, foundations can facilitate small-scale, highly targeted grantmaking similar to the programs modeled by PVF but without leaving behind the comforts of office life. The user-base of the social action platforms mentioned above, and others, can serve as trusted scouts, assigned with the task of uncovering outstanding and underfunded individuals and projects. The platforms exist, and the user-base is growing. What’s missing is the spark that a foundation’s philanthropy dollars could provide.

The kind of small-scale, highly-targeted grantmaking that I propose would be unfamiliar territory to many foundations, and no less unsettling than the proposals that Somerville puts forth in Grassroots Philanthropy. In the final assessment, however, I think foundation staff are more likely to come into their own “in a spirit of daring, risk, and imagination,” by embracing new technologies for grantmaking than by collectively unburdening themselves of paper-laden bureaucracies and unnecessary meetings. That’s the pragmatist in me speaking.

The optimist in me can envision a foundation world that embraces social media tools for grantmaking and employs staff members who go about their work with the integrity and love for humanity that Somerville demonstrates in Grassroots Philanthropy.

If you haven’t read it yet, Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker can be purchased from Amazon for $10.20.