What we have learned about building communities

By John D. Heubusch
Heubusch was president of La Jolla-based Waitt Family Foundation.

August 1, 2003 -- After 10 years, we at the Waitt Family Foundation have learned a great deal from the nonprofit leaders and funders in San Diego. We share our experience in the hope that it may help others.

We began as a community-focused foundation in Sioux City, Iowa. Three years ago, we moved our headquarters to San Diego and simultaneously launched a national giving program in the areas of domestic violence, community building, communications and technology. This has been an exciting and dynamic time. We've grown to know and love San Diego while also working in communities ranging from Boston to San Francisco.

The centerpiece of our work here is the San Diego Community Building
Partnership, which encourages grass-roots leadership in low-income
neighborhoods. We are collaborating with six nonprofit organizations around the county, using a combination of financial support and mentoring. By deepening our involvement, we hope to successfully foster systemic change.

We believe that a funder's role is to do more than write checks. We see
ourselves as allies in the common endeavor of community building and
violence prevention. We invest our energy, expertise and time - as well as
our money - in our partners. Everyday, we learn more about this work. Those lessons have been both positive and negative, but we've benefited from an active and engaged board of trustees who have pushed us to expand our vision.

What we have learned about time ... Community building takes a long time, on the scale of 10 to 15 years. This is problematic for those who want to see short-term results and evaluate the impact of their dollars.

We've found that it takes at least two years to build a trusting and
comfortable relationship between a funder and a grantee. That trust is built
by spending significant time in a community, working with residents and
staff - and there is little substitute for this effort.

Furthermore, nonprofit organizations need time to adopt new technology and embrace new methods. Like many other philanthropists, we were accustomed to the speed of the corporate sector. In the nonprofit world, staff are spread thin over multiple priorities and progress can be slow. We had to significantly recalibrate our expectations and adjust to a different pace.

What we have learned about technology ... There is a huge gap between
business' vision of technology and residents' abilities to see the potential. Without clearly understanding the benefit, community residents do not necessarily want technology for technology's sake. They may accept equipment because it is donated or promoted by a funder, but it is often
likely to go unused.

A more successful approach is to use technology to enhance what people are already doing. This is taken for granted in consumer sales, yet often
forgotten in philanthropy where the emphasis is on what's "new and innovative."

As funders, we need to remember that the basic work of nonprofits is to build connections between people and their communities. Technology is most effective when it makes those connections easier.

What we have learned about the role of a funder ... Respect your partners
and let them see your respect - always. Keep their concerns, issues and
needs in mind at all times. Constantly work to connect them to the various
opportunities that you uncover. Money is only one of the connective tissues
between funder and partner. Equally important are openness to learning, timespent, and trust earned.

We have also found that, because there is so much competition for people'stime and attention, the hard work of community building has to be packagedin an appealing way. In San Diego, visibility means a lot. To get
grass-roots action, a program has to stay in the public eye.

What we have learned about violence prevention ... Family violence is a
highly personal problem that is rarely dealt with on the community level,
despite having enormous implications for everything from job training to
community building. The intertwining of an individual's problems and
community intervention is a delicate process, but a necessary one.

Young people want and need to talk about the issues surrounding violence,
but they have few, if any, safe places to do so in a constructive manner.
Similarly, too few adults have had conversations about the social justice
issues surrounding violence and intolerance. We need more programs that
reach out to young people who are disconnected from their schools and
communities, and we need to find ways to address the systemic forces in
their lives.

We are heartened to see more people debating and discussing San Diego'sfuture. We hope that will translate into concrete action.

This region is fortunate to have countless dedicated, smart, energetic
leaders working in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. We are grateful
to have learned from them, and we will continue to give back as we grow overthe next ten years.

Step by step, this community is helping us to reach our vision: a world in
which every child and family has the opportunity to choose their own futures
and succeed in fulfilling their dreams.