Solutions Start with Communities

Engaging Communities to Solve Complex Social Problems and Make Lives Better

Modern philanthropy has long been guided by “benevolent distance”- credentialed experts operating from boardrooms, academic halls, and foundation offices designing solutions to poverty, racism, disease, and other societal challenges that would succeed if only communities would follow their carefully prescribed approaches. While their intentions are genuine, this approach ignores the lived experience and wisdom of communities, treating those most impacted by these challenges as subjects to be studied rather than partners in change. Which begs the question: When it comes to addressing complex social problems, how do we define the “experts”?  

Since the early 20th Century, the creation of the modern philanthropic organizational structure was influenced by corporate America; strict hierarchies; reliance on credentialed professionals; and data-driven solutions.  While this has undoubtedly led to the gathering of important data and improvement in outcomes, what it also accomplishes is prioritizing credentials over firsthand knowledge.  Moreover, “effective” initiatives often cease to be effective once they are transferred to a new setting or when funder resources cease flowing, demonstrating that processes created in a vacuum don’t always lead to real-world success. 

At TCC Group, our 40+ years of experience in partnering with funders, companies, and nonprofits to address complex social problems, has shown that lasting social change will only happen when solutions are developed in full and respectful collaboration with those whose lives we are seeking to improve. Having a fundamental commitment to community engagement and leadership is essential for effective social impact philanthropy and central to our work.  

Communities are the experts on the challenges they face and opportunities they may seek to embrace, and we build our approach around this fundamental idea, ensuring authentic community participation in every step of the process. For positive social outcomes that will endure, TCC Group has identified three principles to help guide your work:  

Principle 1. Embrace Community Context 

Years ago a major foundation funded a new method of planting crops in an African community. The approach had been developed by a major agricultural research center, and experts were excited about its potential for conserving soil and increasing crop yields. The plan was implemented, and as the higher-yield crops ripened, area birds descended and decimated them. At that point, the funder spoke to one of the local farmers, who observed that he knew that would happen. The funder asked why the farmer had said nothing throughout the long implementation process. The farmer responded that no one had asked. 

As this example illustrates, not engaging communities in a meaningful way from the point of conceptualization onward can lead to results that range from less successful than they could otherwise be to complete failure.  

TCC Group’s experience has shown us that authentic collaborations and partnerships with communities are crucial because: 

• Harnessing local knowledge and wisdom is essential for identifying opportunities and challenges unapparent to outsiders. 

• Highlighting areas of shared interest indicates where resources can have the greatest potential for impact. 

• Bridging the gap between community insiders and outsiders allows for an aligned understanding of priorities and approaches.  

• Fostering a sense of community ownership is essential for achieving sustainability. 

Through extensive experience facilitating partnerships with communities, TCC we also know that funder and nonprofit initiatives may not be top priorities for community members. Establishing a new afterschool program to supplement in-school learning may fail if many prospective students are experiencing hunger, safety concerns, and/or housing insecurity. Those interested in true partnership with communities must be prepared to think broadly about community priorities and the array of work they may need to support to achieve their ultimate objectives. 

At TCC Group, we center a vision of community engagement that places the needs and priorities of communities on an equal footing with the funders and nonprofits seeking to support them. Through strategies that identify and build upon the intersection of funder and nonprofit interests and community needs and priorities, we create and nurture processes that lead to strategic implementation plans with the greatest potential for lasting impact. 

Principle 2. Earn and Return Trust 

A robust foundation of mutual trust and understanding is crucial for authentic collaboration to thrive.  Too often, funders and nonprofits coming from outside of communities focus exclusively on how local organizations must prove their trustworthiness without ever considering how their organizations must show up as partners worthy of a community’s trust.  

TCC Group research and experience indicate that organizations seeking to work in communities that are not their own should:  

• Begin their explorations with local funders and other leaders to understand how current community priorities and initiatives are seeking to address complex social challenges. 

• Understand that their priorities may not be community priorities and move on if there is not alignment. 

• Articulate their financial commitments and time frame up front to ensure clear community expectations for the engagement. 

• Avoid duplicating existing systems or anointing certain organizations as “winners” with large infusions of resources that unbalance the local community ecosystem. 

At TCC Group, we invest significant time and energy into immersing ourselves in the communities we serve, focusing on every aspect of our relationships. We listen with intention and develop authentic partnerships rooted in transparency and accountability. Our approach to building trust involves careful planning and effort, one we view as an evolving process that fosters growth, strengthens the relationship, and ensures sustainability over the long term. This commitment allows us to gain the nuanced local knowledge and community buy-in essential for initiative design and implementation, trust-based grantmaking, innovative evaluation and learning, and impactful strategic communication.  

Principle 3. Collect and Deploy Data Creatively 

Evaluation enables continuous learning and can lead to more effective and equitable outcomes. Yet, many current evaluative processes focus on extracting data from communities, rather than building knowledge and facilitating learning in partnership with communities.  

Funders and nonprofits seeking to understand and build upon deeper understanding of what has made or could make their initiatives successful should:  

• Begin with the learning priorities of greatest interest to community partners, which may best signal whether interventions are having a lasting positive impact. 

• Engage communities in all data collection, review, and interpretation throughout the evaluative process to reduce the influence of outsider biases and build the skills of communities to measure their own progress. 

• Be open to non-traditional forms of evaluation that may better capture the impact of initiatives on communities. 

At TCC Group, we proactively identify and integrate all stakeholders impacted by our work, particularly those receiving the services being assessed, to ensure that our evaluation design, data collection, and interpretation of findings are inclusive. When evaluation frameworks are designed collaboratively, recognizing communities as both active contributors and beneficiaries, information flows more readily and shared learnings have the potential to achieve sustainable social change.