In July 2025, we quietly celebrated an important milestone: one year since our last in-person gathering. It was during that meeting that we, a group of grassroots organizations from Mexico and Guatemala, made the decision to keep our network alive, even after our founding donor, GoPhilanthropic Foundation, closed its doors.
What began as a funder-led idea in 2020 has since evolved into something far more powerful: an autonomous, peer-driven community that continues to grow, learn, and challenge dominant philanthropic narratives. Today, this network is evolving beyond its original structure.
From the start, the vision was to create a space for local organizations to share knowledge, reflect on challenges, and co-create solutions rooted in their realities. That intention became a lifeline during the pandemic. In 2021, the network launched virtually, co-hosted with CIRCULA: Center for Restorative Leadership through the “Well-being for non-profit leaders” workshop series. This offered something we were all craving: pause, connection, and collective nourishment.
Since then, the network has continued to evolve in ways that reflect our identities, values, and ways of relating to one another: from experiential workshops on fundraising and communications to cross-organizational collaborations and joint scholarship opportunities. Our first in-person gathering in 2022 marked a turning point. It was there that we truly experienced the power of connection. Collaborations sparked organically, and skills were strengthened through hands-on workshops in fundraising and sustainability led by Nex Fundraising. Each organization began to notice real changes: greater clarity in their strategies, stronger teams, and more tangible results.
In 2023, several of us attended the #ShiftThePower Summit in Bogotá, where we dove deeper into the power dynamics within philanthropy, reflecting on what needs to change and how we might be part of that transformation. Last year, we came together again in Antigua Guatemala to explore sustainability, both for our organizations and for the network itself. With support from Social Impact Compass, we participated in workshops on resource mobilization, and each organization left with a tailored strategy to strengthen its long-term sustainability. These gatherings have not only been vital moments of capacity building, they have also allowed us to connect, cross-learn, and collectively envision a future where we grow stronger by walking together.
We often say this network is a space to explore “philanthropy on our own terms.” But what does that mean?
For us, it’s a live inquiry, grounded in experience rather than theory. Many of us are engaged in what could be called ‘community-based philanthropy’: mobilizing and stewarding resources within our communities through relationships of trust, care, and reciprocity. In this context, the word “philanthropy” itself can feel foreign or inadequate. So we question it. We ask whether it aligns with our cultures, histories, and collective practices, or whether we need new language altogether.
Over the past year, we have been reflecting on these questions together. What does sustainability mean when shaped by local priorities rather than donor metrics? What kinds of leadership structures allow for care and participation rather than hierarchy? How can we challenge the power dynamics embedded in funding systems and propose alternatives built on mutual accountability and horizontal relationships?
This is where the network has become most alive, in shared learning and reflection. We have exchanged strategies on how to secure and cultivate funders, develop communications plans, and strengthen internal governance. We have explored challenges we all face, from administrative burdens and funder expectations to the tension between our values and the structures imposed on us. But perhaps most importantly, we have shown up for each other. When we are navigating burnout or uncertainty, this space offers solidarity and accompaniment from within.
This network is a collective rooted in shared challenges, strengths and collective wisdom. A space where we practice the kind of relationships we want to see more of: built on trust, interdependence, and the belief that local leadership is not just important, but essential. As we continue to grow as a collective, we are now preparing to embark on a process to define our name and shared identity, one that reflects our values, our ways of working, honoring who we are and how we want to show up in the world.
As we look to the future, our focus remains on deepening these relationships and continuing to define our own terms. Whether through funder engagement, peer-led workshops, or collective reflection on power and funding, we are committed to walking this path together. We are excited to continue building a network that sustains the organizations and the people who lead them, so they can continue showing up with strength and care for the communities they serve.
To learn more about the network and its approach – or find out how you might be able to support them with their innovative work – please reach out to mae@betterfunding.org
