Community-Centric Fundraising is a movement that asks nonprofits to reconsider fundraising practices through a racial- and economic-justice lens. Its principles emphasize the wider community, mutual support among nonprofits, valuing contributors beyond their donations, and avoiding harmful storytelling. The movement describes its principles as a starting point, not a uniform model for every organization. CCF principles
To put the approach into practice, start with one campaign decision: who helps define success before the appeal is written?
Write a community brief before a donor pitch
Use a short working document to answer:
- What need has the community identified?
- Who has helped define that need, and who is missing?
- What decisions can participating community members influence?
- How will staff time and participation costs be budgeted?
- What outcome will be reported back to participants?
This is a proposed planning tool, not an official certification checklist. An organization can use it to expose unresolved decisions before collecting funds.
An original scholarship-fund example
Imagine a local group planning a scholarship for students entering technical training. Instead of beginning with a donor’s preferred promotional event, the group could first ask prospective applicants and education partners about application barriers.
Suppose the discussion identifies a complicated application and an inconvenient interview format. The campaign plan could then include administrative time to simplify instructions and offer an accessible interview process. The donor appeal would explain the whole project rather than presenting administration as waste.
This is hypothetical. It does not claim a measured outcome, a tax benefit or an existing AspireOpen service.
Make storytelling a choice, not a condition of dignity
CCF cautions against othering people and using stories in ways that reinforce savior narratives. CCF storytelling principle
An operational response could be a story-review workflow: explain the intended audience, ask what the person is comfortable sharing, allow review before release, and document which uses were approved. Keep consent for publicity separate from the program’s eligibility decision.
For an appeal, describe the actual work and its constraints. Avoid inventing a composite success story that readers might mistake for a real participant.
Recognize time and shared work
CCF explicitly values time alongside money and treats volunteers, staff and community members as contributors. CCF principles
For your campaign, consider reporting the team effort without ranking people’s value by donation size. A draft acknowledgment might say: “Community members shaped the application, volunteers reviewed the instructions, and donors funded the awards and administration.” Use this wording only when those activities actually happened.
Agree on decision rights
Before launch, assign responsibility for the budget, applicant privacy, donor restrictions, award decisions and public reporting. A consultation invitation is misleading if the underlying decision cannot change; be explicit about what is open for input.
If a donor proposes a restriction, evaluate it against the fund’s purpose and obtain appropriate professional review where required. This article does not determine legal acceptability or deductibility.
Report the whole project honestly
The CCF framework favors transparent, holistic reporting rather than claiming a donor independently caused a complex result. CCF reporting principle
A useful report can separate money received, commitments made, costs paid, work completed and unresolved needs. Do not describe pledged money as received or an announced award as disbursed.
Start with one change
Choose a manageable pilot: revise one appeal, add a community review step, or change one reporting practice. Record what changed and invite feedback before expanding. The goal is a clearer decision process, not a badge added to otherwise unchanged fundraising.
