With today’s knowledge of the importance of providing trauma-informed care to our program participants, why are we not enforcing these same standards in our fundraising practices? When we are working with individuals who have survived violence, we should be choosing fundraising events that promote healthy models for healing, instead of those that promote behaviors linked to violence.

We are failing our program participants when we teach them that gambling and alcoholism are unhealthy, but casino nights and wine galas are appropriate when they are fundraising for philanthropy. It is our responsibility as trauma-informed organizations to hold our donors to the same standards as our participants.

Over the past few decades, we have started to flesh out the intricacies of the long-term, pervasive effects of trauma. These effects may influence every aspect of an individual’s life, especially when the trauma is still fresh. The lasting impacts of a traumatic experience can span generations, and may result in negative outcomes throughout a survivor’s family, social circle, and community.

This is especially the case when trauma is experienced among populations in under-served and under-represented communities, where violence prevention strategies are often only taught to individuals once they have already experienced violence. This is problematic because it places the blame on the survivor, rather than on the perpetrator. It also ignores the disproportionate impacts vulnerable populations face and does nothing to provide widespread education for other members of the community.

Combatting these impacts is the implementation of trauma-informed care practices. Trauma-informed care approaches the “big picture” of the survivor’s life and recognizes the significance of the sum of an individual’s experiences in their healing journey. Focus is placed on ensuring physical, emotional, and mental safety; emphasizing opportunities for the survivor to have choices and retain control in their care; sharing power and decision making with them; building trust and healthy boundaries; and empowering the survivor through education, self-regulation, and skill-building.

We are constantly sharing the significance of utilizing these trauma-informed care practices with our donors, but fail to follow-through on offering them the education piece that is vital in preventing future violence. Philanthropic practices should be placed at the forefront of trauma-informed research, as these practices are ultimately what will build community resistance to violence. It doesn’t matter how much money we raise for support services, emergency shelters, and education on revictimization among survivors, if we’re not also teaching our donors about the behaviors that perpetuate violence. This starts with making the choice to only promote events that reflect the values we are instilling in our program participants.

To offer an example, the relationship between gambling and domestic violence is something that has recently become an area of focus in trauma research. As organizations, we teach our participants that participation in gambling may increase an individual’s risk in experiencing violent victimization, yet casino events are often portrayed as a fun and exciting event for our donors. Moreover, the consumption of alcohol is often taught in a “zero tolerance” method for survivors of violence, to the point that some organizations will not allow wine glasses or alcohol propaganda in their shelters, thrift stores, or outreach centers. Despite this, wine galas continue to serve as one of the most popular fundraisers for these types of nonprofit organizations.

We share the news of these events with our program participants, encouraging them to help facilitate these occasions through advertising, participation in survivor speak-out, or fundraising. If they were to engage in gambling or the consumption of alcohol outside of these events, we would be frowning upon their behavior and offering suggestions for redirection towards behaviors deemed healthy. Because we know these behaviors are linked to violence, it is within the scope of best ethical practices to adopt this framework in our programs. However, we are failing to meet the height of our potential as nonprofits when we exclude this framework in philanthropy.

The adoption of this framework will lead us to trauma-informed philanthropy, a practice that allows us to create education opportunities for our donors, so the path towards ending violence can continue outside of the services we’re providing. While leaving behind the popularity of these events may seem intimidating, it is possible to facilitate philanthropic success while offering congruency with our mission statements.

Guidelines for Implementing Trauma-Informed Philanthropy

Commit to adhering to the guiding principles of your mission statement. If an event is a direct reflection of a behavior discouraged among your program participants, it is not something that should be used for philanthropy.

Develop community partnerships that collaborate and engage in trauma-informed practices. Practice reflexivity in the partnerships your organization currently has. Event sponsors should be those who support the mission statement of your organization within their own day-to-day operations.

Offer education on why past events don’t reflect the future success of your organization. Trauma-informed philanthropy is about fully engaging your donors into the mission. Use this shift into new fundraising event types as an opportunity to teach donors about the healthy behaviors that prevent violence and promote healing. By offering this education, your donors will be able to continue promoting the values of your organization, have the knowledge and tools to teach others about behaviors that increase the risk of violence, and be able to facilitate healthy habits in their own lives.

While a nonprofit organization can create a safe space for healing for program participants through trauma-informed care, it is equally important to be operating through the framework of trauma-informed philanthropy. We are just as responsible for facilitating healthy behaviors among our donors as we are with our participants. It is both hypocrisy and unethical to not uphold the same expectations for ourselves and our donors, as those we hold our participants to. Our mission does not change when the almighty dollar is at the forefront of our concerns, and no one is unsusceptible to the occurrence of violence, even our donors.

Averi Jones is a survivor of sexual violence and victim advocate. She is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Montana.