Faq for White Allies
White allies are welcomed! Your presence is crucial in the movement to align fundraising practices with equity. However, you must understand the important, but supporting role that you play. Here are some questions frequently asked by white allies:
Can I write for this website?
Yes, absolutely. We need our white allies to reflect on their experiences, especially when it comes to difficult topics such as how white privilege shapes fundraising. Oftentimes, the most effective way to reach other white folks is for white allies to deliver the messages. However, CCF has the value of Equity, which includes prioritizing the voices of people of color, so 75% of our blog posts will be from POCs (and all of our leadership are POC.) This means that it may take longer for your piece to be published, and you may be compensated less if there are not enough resources to pay writers.
Can I form a CCF chapter in my city?
Yes, but strive to ensure there is majority representation of POC in your chapter and that you are not consciously or unconsciously excluding people of color. Work with leaders of color to start a chapter. Take time to build relationships. Where you can, encourage participants of color, with the end goal of ensuring that leadership of your chapter is led by people of color.
Can I organize meetings with other white allies about these topics?
Absolutely. We are building a movement, and that includes all of us participating in some way. White allies can be extremely helpful by talking about various topics among themselves in order to prevent leaders of color from having to do the emotional and other labors of constantly educating our white colleagues and managing unchecked fragility.
My geographic area is demographically very white. Can I still form a chapter?
Yes, please see question above about organizing meetings with other white allies.
I invite leaders of color, but they won’t come to meetings. What should I do?
Spend time building relationships and really listening to (listening to!) and acting on feedback. However, be OK with the fact that sometimes, people of color just want our own space. You can do work in parallel thoughtfully and work gradually toward collaboration. In the meantime, see our resource list and keep engaging.
What other things can I do to help this movement?
Get trained in undoing racism, white fragility and related topics. Widely share resources and blog posts from this website. Encourage others to find out more about and engage in CCF activities in their area. Volunteer with your local CCF chapter, if it exists. Donate to the CCF, either to this chapter or to your local one. Encourage your fundraising associations to tackle CCF-related topics. Also, speak up when you are in agreement with various points around difficult topics; what often happens is that people who disagree tend to be the loudest, which gives the illusion that they are the majority.