Community philanthropy is the concept of bringing people together in an area for the betterment of everyone around. It requires a blend of community and external resources to be successful. This support can come from time, money, experience, thoughts, or peoples’ expertise. Here are a few of the reasons why philanthropy is essential to improve communities.
The needs of a community are always growing and changing. The population must build assets and trust among each other to do the work that is necessary to adapt to the evolving needs. Even if a community is receiving external support, work from within an internal assembly helps keep the members alive.
One of the main goals of any philanthropic organization is to empower its citizens. When people are encouraged to participate, and their voices are heard and validated, community members feel more power. They’re able to come together to help solve problems and plan for the future. This also gives power to individuals to hold themselves accountable to help implement solutions to issues in the community. When everyone works together, it benefits the community as a whole.
Community philanthropy brings citizens together another way as well. It helps protect their civic space. When everyone follows an agreed-upon set of societal rules, there is a broad sense of freedom that inspires creativity and communication. This, in turn, influences the political and social structures around them. It also helps preserve their independence to associate. This gives the community all of the power. They don’t have to rely on external forces solely. They’re able to come together to protect their space.
Community philanthropy focuses mainly on community foundations. These foundations are growing in popularity throughout the world. This means more community foundations are coming together to stand on their own. This helps boost each area’s economy and growth as a whole. If each community can stand on its own, there is less fear that they slip through the cracks.
A community strong in philanthropy is the backbone of the community. This is an essential characteristic of a functional democracy. This is because the citizens’ quality of functions measures the health of a society that is democratic. The thought is that you cannot have a robust democratic society without a healthy community.