Funders for Family Leadership

Philanthropic Self-Reflection Tool for Equitable Parent Partnership

The journey towards authentic partnership and equitable collaboration with parents is an ongoing process and requires regular reflection, inquiry, and conversation to maximize your positive impact and avoid causing harm to parent leaders and the community. We are all doing our best, but consistent self-evaluation allows your organization to have the greatest impact. 

The Philanthropic Self-Reflection Tool for Equitable Parent Partnership provides a framework for these reflections and helps to process what your team learns. 

Executive Summary

Who Should Use this Tool

This tool is for funders and funder collaboratives who are committed to:

  1. Honestly reflecting and identifying themselves along a continuum of engagement and partnership with parents,
  2. Determining which areas need improvement,
  3. Identifying best practices and strategies they can begin to implement to advance along the continuum, 
  4. Facilitating necessary and important discussions internally to ensure that there is institutional support to implement these strategies
  5. Being in conversation with parents and other funders to receive coaching, mentorship, and technical assistance to center and partner with parents in an equitable, authentic, and meaningful way

How to Use the Philanthropic Self-Reflection Tool

Learning & Innovation

Influence

Internal Organizational Practice

Catalyze
Impact

Four Domains of Philanthropic Practice

  • Learning and Innovation
  • Influence
  • Internal Organizational Practice
  • Catalyze Impact

There are four domains of the Philanthropic Self-Reflection Tool. As you move through the tool, you will find these 5 key aspects within each domain. The tool is a matrix, and allows you and your team to think about the present and future of your organization from each key angle.

  • Definition of the domain 
  • A “north star” for the domain 
  • Rubric for determining both current and desired “placement” along a continuum of partnership 
  • Lived experiences from funders and parents 
  • Reflection questions to be used in conversation internally and with parents

The tool was co-created with parent leaders from UPLAN. We encourage you to tackle one domain at a time to ensure there is ample thought, planning, implementation, and feedback from parents. Dive into deep reflection, intentional and honest conversation, and thoughtful action with your team using this framework for discussion. You can also check out the rest of our resource library and join our mailing list for the most up-to-date announcements from Funders for Family Leadership.

Download the Philanthropic Self-Reflection Tool!

Provide your name and email address below to access the Philanthropic Self-Reflection Tool for Equitable Parent Partnership.