Series of reports: 1. The challenges of communicating community and social justice philanthropy

By Ana Letícia Silva and Paulo Motoryn

This is a series of reports with four texts derived from a press conference held with communicators from organizations in the Philanthropy Network for Social Justice – RFJS, identifying the main challenges experienced in communicating the community philanthropy it's from social justice from the practice of cominicador@s.

Interviewees were: Larissa Amorim (Casa Fluminense); Silvia Dias and Fernanda Lopes (Baobá Fund); Mônica Nóbrega (Brazil Human Rights Fund); Renata Saavedra (Fundo Elas); Harley Nascimento (Positive Fund); Attilio Zonin (Casa Fund); Ivanderson Pinheiro (Instituto Baixada); Andreia Coutinho (Instituto Clima e Sociedade); Stefani Ceolla (ICOM); Méle Dornelas (ISPN); Simone Amorim (Tabôa); Andrea Blum (Redes da Maré)

Report 1: Communicators from member organizations of the Philanthropy Network for Social Justice talk about the challenges of consolidating the field in Brazil (September/2020).

Communicators of member organizations of the Philanthropy Network for Social Justice speak about the challenges of consolidating the field in Brazil

The contents of community philanthropy it's from social justice they intertwine with a narrative favorable to human rights, amplify the voices of activists, organizations and grassroots groups across the country and strengthen civil society narratives to spread this type of philanthropy. A major challenge to affirm and consolidate this field in Brazil lies in the intersection between communication It is social justice. This is what communicators from the organizations that make up the Philanthropy Network for Social Justice. According to them, who live daily with difficulties and opportunities so that the field can be recognized, the key to overcoming the vision that associates philanthropy with assistance is in telling the real stories of groups, collectives, leaders and organizations impacted. for the actions of the RJFS.

“All statistics and theses materialize into real and human stories”,

states the Baobab Fund.

Already the Casa Fluminense, another organization that is part of the RFJS, says that its main objective is “achieve a communication that helps to materialize, but that also needs to be nourished by harvesting effects”. The statements corroborate the reflection that the communication It is not an end, but a tool that helps decode the unique importance of each organization in building a more just world. A communication is a central point to be addressed so that the community philanthropy it's from social justice can be recognized and consolidated in Brazil. A special philanthropy, with multiple actions and that reaches the grassroots, at the tip in many ways. This was the great challenge presented by communicators from the organizations that make up the RFJS, which point to the importance of knowing the stories that happen to the groups, collectives, leaders and organizations supported, that is, stories from the cutting edge, to understand their real reach and meaning.

By reversing their usual roles, from interviewers to interviewees, the communicators highlighted the importance of translating what, in fact, the meaning of social justice philanthropy in an unequal country like Brazil. For the ICOM, the responsibility is to communicate the “bridge” role that the organization plays. “The constant challenge is to clearly explain the workflow – who donates and where the resources go. It is also always necessary to communicate that our role is to be a bridge between donors and organizations that work “on the cutting edge”, promoting these causes”.

Already the Baixada Institute highlights the role of the organization in “territorial development of Baixada Maranhense, in the effective search for notices that enable support for initiatives that contribute to the development of the territory”. In the same vein, the iCS it says: “This is the key role of philanthropy. Promote organizations so that they take the lead in their causes with the common objective of transforming the Brazilian scenario in a more democratic, perennial, broad and systemic way”.

THE CHALLENGE | At this moment, a discourse refractory to the notion of respect for basic rights prevails even more strongly, which calls for the production of an efficient and engaging counter-narrative to overcome the discourse that equates human rights with the rights of so-called “criminals”. It's a question of crisis management and how to respond to possible reputational attacks.

A NEW CONTEXT | Additional challenges in the current context are in relation to access and consumption of new information and communication technologies.

New dynamics and languages

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) have caused profound transformations and renewed social demands. For this reason, communicators point out the relevance of being part of the new dynamics and languages that emerge, especially from youth.

O Baixada Institute states that it had to redesign its communication strategies, going beyond the simple production of institutional content. According to the organization, to actually reach new generations, it was necessary to invest in other ways of establishing relationships with the public, such as participation in community meetings, seminars and youth groups.

The communicators also valued working in the most diverse communication channels, such as application groups, pamphlets, posters, sound cars and bicycles. For the iCS, it is fundamental “the democratization of language and attention to the multiplicity of organizational profiles we have.”

O Baixada Institute highlights that “digital reality is still a crucial factor for access to information”. And they also point out as a difficulty the scarcity of “means of communication that were previously more present in the territory, such as popular radio stations”. According to the communicators, radio stations in the region in which the institute operates have great potential for access to information and knowledge.