Why she gives: “I give because I really feel like not giving isn’t a choice. There’s too much at stake. I see day in and day out the racial and economic injustices in this city. To not give would be grossly unjust.”
When Elicia Gonzales first learned about Bread & Roses Community Fund, she was impressed by the grantmaking process. “To be frank, I was in awe that Bread & Roses was so community driven,” she says. “Bread & Roses doesn’t just talk the talk, but also walks the walk when it comes to decision and authority and power being in the hands of community members who are impacted by racial and economic injustices.” She joined the Community Grantmaking Committee in 2014, and this year she participated in the first-ever Giving Project.
Members of the Giving Project each made personally meaningful donations. Gonzales thought about what amount she would feel proud of and decided to double what she had initially intended to give. As she went around asking friends and family to join her in giving to movements for real change, she was proud to tell them how much she was giving.
Many of Gonzales’ family and friends responded with enthusiasm when she asked them to give. “People want to be part of contributing for social justice,” she says. “I was inviting people to be a part of a movement that they wanted to be part of anyway and just weren’t sure how to do it.”
The Giving Project changed the way Gonzales looked at fundraising: “We don’t have to rely on government funding or foundation support. The power really is with the people.”