logo logo
Donate
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Social Justice
    • Racial Justice
    • Climate Justice
    • Disability Justice
    • Economic Justice
    • Health Justice
    • Immigration
    • LGBTQ+
  • Civic News
  • Nonprofit Leadership
    • Board Governance
    • Equity-Centered Management
    • Finances
    • Fundraising
    • Human Resources
    • Organizational Culture
    • Philanthropy
    • Power Dynamics
    • Strategic Planning
    • Technology
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Leading Edge Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Webinars

Why Every Philanthropist Should Be Active on Twitter

Jay Ruderman
August 13, 2015
Twitter-chalk
Photo Credit: via Richard Goodwin

A fellow philanthropist recently confided in me that he’s never sure if his philanthropic dollars are making a difference. “Sometimes it feels like it’s all going down the drain,” he said. While he continually received from his grantees metrics, benchmarks, and data about how his dollars were being put to good use, he mused, “If I’ve really made such a big difference, why do there never seem to be any sustainable solutions?”

Maybe the desperation for return on investment would be lessened if we philanthropists spent more time away from our Ivory Towers and more time with the end-users of our dollars, getting to know their challenges.

Like all things worth doing, philanthropy requires getting your hands dirty. A good starting point would be for the philanthropist to interact with real people and causes on Twitter.

Why are so many philanthropists removed from the challenges they wish to address?

As a philanthropist myself, I’ve observed that most major philanthropists are elitists, cut off from the majority of society, including the very populations their largesse is designed to serve. Extremely wealthy people too often only associate with others in their financial and social class.

When they interact with the organizations they support, they tend to work through the CEO, who may also be disconnected from the target populations. The CEO may be elitist himself or enamored of the wealth and status of the philanthropist. Moreover, NGOs actively court the support of major philanthropists and often tell them what they want to hear for fear of appearing to be failing or departing from focusing on the philanthropist’s desired approach.

Some philanthropists retreat from society because, they complain, they’re constantly being hit up for their time and money. As a private person myself, I can relate to this grumble. While enthusiastic interest from the public can indeed be trying and time consuming, it’s a poor excuse for withdrawing. Like other forms of celebrity, wealth comes with a price.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Because philanthropists are often so far removed from the people they are trying to help, they often push for initiatives that make little sense and, consequently, have little impact. They see their wealth as proof of competence, insulating themselves from the scrutiny of the staff, other stakeholders, and the end users.

The end result of this elitism is that the very people philanthropists claim to serve frequently gain little benefit from services they had no say whatsoever in developing.

Getting closer to the target audience is not only sound philanthropy; I’d argue it’s morally obligatory. Philanthropists have the responsibility to be more connected to the people they are seeking to impact because their philanthropic dollars are not wholly theirs. Whether they dispense their donations through a foundation or a donor-advised fund, the U.S. government has provided them tax benefits in order to advance the public good. How can they be sure their dollars are benefiting the public good if they haven’t spoken to the portion of the public they intend to assist?

The Ruderman Family Foundation tries to do the following:

  • Interact regularly with the people we want to impact. When, for example, we try to enhance our investment in disability inclusion advocacy, we convene a group of self-advocates, who share with us their take on the best solutions. We involve self-advocates in all aspects of our work.
  • Remain accessible through Twitter and other social media outlets. We respond to people, have conversations with them, and listen to their ideas and criticisms. We tell people what we are doing and want to do. Not only is our foundation active on Twitter, I’m personally active. I use it to both broadcast and listen. As a result, I am much closer to the discussion in the communities I’m trying to influence.
  • Hold major conferences and other gatherings open to the general public or target populations, where people can provide input into the issues at hand.

If we listen more, not just to the professionals but also to the people they serve, we acknowledge that our giving is not about us or our generosity; it’s about the people we ultimately try to help. And we just might find that our philanthropy is making a bigger difference than we ever imagined.

About the author
Jay Ruderman

Jay Ruderman is the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which focuses on the inclusion of people with disabilities in Israel and the Jewish community worldwide and educating Israeli leaders on the American Jewish community. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Funders Network and is a member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Executive Committee.

More about: FoundationsNonprofit NewsPhilanthropySocial MediaTechnologyVoices from the Field

Our Voices Are Our Power.

Journalism, nonprofits, and multiracial democracy are under attack. At NPQ, we fight back by sharing stories and essential insights from nonprofit leaders and workers—and we pay every contributor.

Can you help us protect nonprofit voices?

Your support keeps truth alive when it matters most.
Every single dollar makes a difference.

Donate now
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
Get Funds Flowing: Lessons from the Boston Foundation
Candace Burton
Amid Heatwaves, a Growing Concern Rises About Data Centers
Rebekah Barber
How to Fix the Nation’s DAF System—a $250 Billion Question
Jon Pratt
Trump Budget Bill Spells Trouble for Nonprofits
Isaiah Thompson
#WeTheCivic: “America’s” Stories Can’t Be Told Without Us 
Sara Hudson
Outsourcing Cost of ‘Impact’ Data Could Mean 13 Percent More Bang for Every Charitable Buck
George E. Mitchell

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
July 24th, 2:00 pm ET

Organizing in Divided Times

The Relational Infrastructure We Need to Protect Democracy

Register
Group Created with Sketch.
September 24th-25th, 2:00 pm ET

Advanced QuickBooks for Nonprofits

Expert Guidance for Experienced QuickBooks Users

Register

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Donate
  • Editorial Policy
  • Funders
  • Submissions

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.