Our Voices, Our Stories: A Look Back on 2010 Listening Sessions

As part of the Foundation’s commitment to listen directly to those experiencing poverty in South Carolina, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina conducted four community Listening Sessions in Allendale, Johns Island, Greenwood and Bennettsville in 2010. Each location was strategically selected because of the different levels of poverty. For example, one community had a 16 percent poverty rate, while another one had 32 percent.

The response to the Foundation’s Listening Sessions was overwhelming with over 270 individuals participating, representing nearly 100 organizations across the four locations. Specific attention was given to obtaining diverse representation and perspectives. More than half of the participants voluntarily provided demographic information. The demographics of those that responded included:

• 57% female, 40% male;
• 34% African American, 27% Latino/Hispanic; 23% Caucasian/White, 5% were Native American;
• 36% were unemployed while 15% were working part-time;
• 24% had attended middle school or some high school as their highest level education, 17% had either a GED or high school diploma;
• 19% had an income range of $25,000 or below while 15% had an income range of $25,000 to $49,000.

During each Listening Session, a Foundation board of trustee’s member or staff member facilitated small focused table discussions among attendees to elicit their perspectives on their experience of poverty and its impact on their community. Throughout the Listening Sessions, families experiencing poverty shared―in a heartfelt way―their struggles, joys and pain.

They were remarkably open with us as they invited us humbly into their lives. We witnessed first-hand tremendous strength and resilience among those we talked with, felt their deep sense of heritage and heard the importance of informal support systems (friendships and family ties). Perhaps what resonated most was the importance and fundamental role faith and spirituality plays in their lives.

One Johns Island Hispanic resident shared, “we believe in God and have faith, that’s all we have.”

Those with a strong spiritual foundation and faith used this faith as an inspiration as they work to overcome so many barriers in order to move out of poverty.

“We’re just trying to make it from day to day," shared one Greenwood resident.

We wrapped up our Listening Sessions by asking participants to share their potential ideas, solutions and resources needed in their community in order to reduce poverty.

As one resident in Allendale shared, “people need to be given a chance to do something with their lives.”

“I need to see the hope to believe there is hope. Instead of telling me, show me the hope,” said one Bennettsville youth. 

Across the locations, twelve recommendations for action fell in four primary areas: social services, education, health and strengthening the community. Families experiencing poverty want to know that people care and are invested in their success.

Read the full summary and recommendations made during the 2010 Listening Sessions



Stephanie Cooper-Lewter is the senior director of research for the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina.

The True Reality of Grantmaking Today

Today’s demand for philanthropic dollars is chaotic.  The need for resources is overwhelming and it is affecting both large and small nonprofits. Many non-profits believe that foundations such as the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina are going to be the “quick fix” to their current financial challenges. Unfortunately, it does not work that way.

Most foundations move very deliberately and purposefully. They don’t make quick decisions nor do they “knee jerk” to crisis needs. The one common denominator is that foundations do have dollars to spend and nonprofits need dollars to spend. Other than that, every foundation has a different set of giving principles, goals and desired outcomes. Often times, an organization will apply for and expect funding from a foundation simply because the organization has a similar mission to the foundation’s mission. But more and more, foundations are looking “inward” at what they want to accomplish, than looking “outward” at what others want or need to accomplish.

In other words, foundations are becoming more intentional about their grant giving. Foundations have their own set of indicators that determine whether or not they are successful or meeting their own mission. Sometimes it aligns with a nonprofit and sometimes it doesn’t. For example, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina has limited resources which force us to make extremely difficult decisions about how and where the Foundation does its social investing. It is just the way it is. Equipping families with the resources to live out of poverty is ambitious and a very difficult hill for us to climb. It is our goal to have the greatest impact on reducing poverty, mostly through addressing causes rather than consequences. That is not to say that we don’t invest in consequences but it is not our priority. We are going to dig deeper and invest more strategically to influence change that defines who we are and the goals and outcomes we, as a funder, must achieve.
 

This may require fewer grants to fewer organizations but the organizations that are funded will clearly align with our mission, focus, desired outcomes and key indicators. We will be looking for more defined partners to help us meet our goals. It is the only way we can be truly effective and measure the changes we are able to affect in poor communities and neighborhoods. Some funds will continue to be directed towards meeting basic needs. A lot of individuals and families are struggling and we cannot, in good conscience, ignore that. However, true change in the lives of those living in generational poverty will require more of our attention and resources as we move “further upstream” to find the answers and create greater impact.

Our hope is that future consequences of poverty will be less severe because needed prevention, intervention, learning, skill building and life style changes have occurred on the front end.  There is no doubt that many nonprofit organizations are trying to do good work in communities across South Carolina. Unfortunately, we can only choose a few and align with them to further our goals and mission of lifting families out of poverty.

Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina