Birthing PhilanthroJoy

Written By Chantias Ford

It’s a heavy time, in the world, and in the philanthropy sector.  The world feels like it’s on fire, and our sector is scared, stagnant, angry, and feeling a full range of emotions. I’ve always been a strong proponent of emotions as a tool—as much as we say there’s no place for emotions in the workplace, they shape every decision we make, and we should be more in tune with them to be honest and make decisions thoughtfully.  As I reflected on my own emotions, did research, and spoke with friends, colleagues, and field-leaders, one strong need came up— a need for more joy.

PhilanthroJoy was born.

Framing Joy

I’ve spent the bulk of my career uplifting and embedding  joy in my work. I’ve prioritized it and amplified it, at the intersection of  social impact, rigor, equity, and community. 

  • I’ve hosted a second line parade at a conference I planned in New Orleans 

  • I’ve done a bath ritual in Jamaica 

  • I’ve led restorative retreats in the Pocono mountains in cozy cabins 

  • I’ve done a sound bath overlooking the Southern California Bay

  • I’ve gotten a massage in the Costa Rican rainforest

  • I line danced with philanthropy leaders in Charlotte 

  • I’ve hosted grantee share circles to celebrate and reflect

  • I’ve cuddled bunnies in Winston-Salem 

  • I’ve led virtual dance parties and game breaks over Zoom

All on philanthropy’s dime and for the sake to sharpen and strengthen myself individually and the work collectively. Whether I was on the planning/hosting side, or as a participant, not only did it bring me joy but it reinvigorated me, and brought some of my best eureka moments, deepest insights, and greater relief in moments of burn out and frustration. 

And participants reported similarly, with evaluations sharing testimonies around “this is the first time I feel seen in my professional space” and “I’m walking away with a lifeline and community”. Hallway conversations centered around the lessons learned, the connections made, the ideas materialized. 

Spaces committed to joyful gatherings are restorative, generative, and connective. Joy is an impactful strategy. 

Joy is the Solution

The philanthropic sector is unfortunately in a regressive cycle. Mirroring the larger societal challenges, we are currently seeing a retreat from the morals, values, and priorities we’ve previously uplifted. 

PhilanthroJoy has been created to address these challenges. These challenges include: 

  • A significant spirit of negativity, dissent, and criticism in the sector. 

  • A lack of explicit centralized spaces in the philanthropic sector that prioritize the implementation and prioritization of joy. 

  • A lack of clarity on how and why to execute joy strategies that are rooted in justice and equity to prevent the perpetuation of inequitable power dynamics. 

  • A challenge for funders to see or experience the joy of their giving, but to rather focus on top-down power structures, maintaining status-quo dynamics, and using giving as a financial incentive rather than a joyful experience. 

  • A significant amount of philanthropy professionals (especially those from marginalized identities) retreating from philanthropy work due to burnout and trauma.   

PhilanthroJoy has been created as a resource to address these challenges, individually, organizationally, and field-wide. 

Reflecting on the Creation 

I grappled with this concept of philanthropic joy. I’ve always held very high standards for myself, and have always prioritized rigor, intellectuality, and strategy. Did joy have a central place in those pursuits? I didn’t just want this to feel like a glorified event planning service, or a shallow push for parties and fun times. Yes, that’s important, but I wanted more. 

I reflected on the strategies I’ve helped funders build and execute throughout my career. The impact strategies, the programmatic strategies, the team-building strategies, the change management strategies… My strategic mind has always been able to hold seemingly contradictory tensions and balance them well, and help others balance them as well. Being able to hold space for opposing points of view, and meeting in the messy middle to craft strategy that reflects various perspectives- that’s been my superpower. I wanted PhilanthroJoy to be a space for that as well.   

Joy is a means of resistance. Joy is revolution. Joy promotes democracy and combats authoritarianism. Joy is a salve for individual and societal challenges. Yes, it takes more than just joy- but when you couple joy with strategy, you get something impactful, sustainable, and human-centered. Philanthropy is about the love of humanity–why would joy not be at the center of that?

❤️❤️❤️

Chantias Ford