Give Back Home:  Community Based Philanthropy

SRDI helps initiate, nurture, and maximize philanthropic entities like community foundations and donor circles to increase the ability of rural citizens to “give back home” effectively and with intention.

Successful rural communities invest in their own futures. Homegrown philanthropic investment is critical to building community infrastructure. Since 2002, we have helped develop rural philanthropy through a “philanthropic index” for small towns and rural areas, our data and training tool that demonstrates philanthropic potential in rural counties and regions. We promote inclusive community philanthropy that provides visionary leadership toward equity and shared prosperity. 

Give Back Home, SRDI’s name for our rural community philanthropy model, includes several key components to strong community-based philanthropic funds:

• Data about the philanthropic potential of rural communities and small towns
  
  
• Training about philanthropic definitions, structures, and trends (local, regional, and national)
  
  
• Facilitation, coaching, and organizational support for philanthropic partners or their members -- staff, board, or community leaders
  
  
• Online donation vehicles for SRDI partner organizations and projects

SRDI Resources for Successful Community-Based Philanthropy

Philanthropic Data Reports for Your Community

Current Philanthropic Activity:
We show you current philanthropic activity in your community in four different areas: grantmaking foundations, nonprofit organizations, and individual charitable giving.

Trends in Your Community:
The Philanthropy Index also describes important changes in your community during recent years: population change, emerging or dominate economic sectors, labor force stability, home ownership, and retirement and investment income.

Target Data:
We help your philanthropic organization identify the presence of individuals (but not by name) who have the capability to play a key role in the building of permanent philanthropic assets for your community: business proprietors, farm proprietors, affluent and middle-class families and high-income households.

Customized Training

SRDI provides four to six hours of training for audiences up to 40 people with your data report to help your group understand, utilize, and strategically plan according to the trends for your area.

Facilitation, Coaching, and Organizational Support

Our support of rural organizations and leaders includes the following topics

• Mission, Vision, and Values Clarification
• Conflict Management
• Strategic Planning
• Board of Directors Support
• Systems Creation and Support
• Organizational Work Planning
• Leadership Coaching
• Fund Development Planning and Support
• Building Inclusive Boards and Staff
• Race and Class in Rural Areas
• Building Strong Financial Management
• Why Rural Matters
• How to Spark Rural Philanthropy
• Supporting Grassroots Organizations
• Effective Supervision
• Building Partnerships and Coalitions

Online Donation Engine

We encourage the growth of community-based funds and foundations by innovating philanthropic engines and by maximizing access to giving for local issues.  Ultimately, we believe that building a case to “give back home” and making it easier to do will increase community assets, whether the donor lives within the county lines or miles away from where they were raised.  Click here to view our donation engine and give to SRDI partners and their projects.