Radical Democracy & a Beneficiary Bill of Rights

I’ve written before about going to graduate school as an older adult and the benefits derived from that experience. The most notable has been the ability to think about work in a new way, shaped by perspectives that differ from or augment lived experience. Theory informing practice and vice versa. This is one of those reflections.

During graduate school while studying the theories and (social, legal, political, economic) structures that undergird the field of philanthropy, I encountered the concept of radical democratic practice that forever changed the way I think about fundraising—from donor-centered to donor- and community-centric. Let me explain.

I took a relevatory (for me) class on nonprofits and civil society that examined the constructs and evolution of the voluntary sector in the US. The professor, a specialist in public policy and international affairs, encouraged her students to probe beyond how philanthropy is traditionally framed as essential to American democracy, famously observed by Alexis de Toqueville on his visit to the US in the early 1830s. She exposed us to the work of several scholars who hold more progressive, activist views of contemporary civil society, dismissing the French diplomat’s assessment as “romanticized and Western”[1]. These readings introduced me to the concept of radical democracy[2] and how to put it into practice.

“At its core, radical democracy is about the institutionalization of diverse democratic practices that go beyond traditional electoral politics. It emphasizes the need for a new hegemony centered on democratic values, one that is inclusive of various identities and struggles.

“In a radical democracy, the political arena is not limited to formal institutions like parliaments and courts. Instead, it includes grassroots organizations, social movements, and everyday interactions where democratic values can be practiced and reinforced. This approach seeks to democratize all areas of life, from the workplace to the family, ensuring that everyone has a voice and a stake in societal decisions.”[3] [Emphasis mine.]

Unlike in a representative democracy, where elected officials speak for the citizenry (as in the US), radical democracy promotes direct citizen participation in the power structures that govern modern life. Thus, radical democracy in practice, as explained by public administration scholar Margaret Stout, is participatory, inclusionary, expressed via equitable process, and focused on priorities established by community consensus. It is favored by informal, grassroots collaboratives working together for social change. Such practice stands in contrast to a mainstream approach that can be perceived as bureaucratic, top-down, and overly professionalized, focused on quantitative outputs that invite financial and other investment. The latter, more familiar process is often preferred by government agencies, funders, and large institutions seeking pre-determined outcomes that serve majority needs.

Stout outlines seven linked action steps—raising awareness, mobilizing engagement, conducting assessment, envisioning, planning, implementing, and evaluating (Stout, 2019)—that I found similar to those championed by organizational change management gurus like John Kotter or design thinking problem solvers like David Kelley, who have inspired me. What’s different is emphasis, from internal motivation to external engagement, from institutional gain to community impact.

The US Bill of Rights, among 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution ratified by joint resolution of Congress on September 25, 1789. Image courtesy of the National Archives.

What does this have to do with organizational development and fundraising? Nonprofit professionals are forever reminded of the primacy of donors. Since 1993, when the Association of Fundraising Professionals formalized the Donor Bill of Rights, the nonprofit field has advocated for philanthropy built on a foundation of respect, care, trust, and transparency—for donors. Radical democracy helped me to see that this only reflects one aspect of the philanthropy/fundraising paradigm.

I conceived and co-published a proposed Beneficiary Bill of Rights (BBoR) to ensure agency, representation, and collaborative decision-making by all members of a nonprofit community, especially those intended to benefit from an organization’s services and programs. Like radical democracy, the BBoR foregrounds participation, inclusion, collaboration, and power-sharing among nonprofits, donors, and beneficiaries. Similarly, there have also been calls for a Fundraiser Bill of Rights that respects the autonomy of those who secure financial resources on behalf of public causes. Both seek a reconsideration of the privileges and authority afforded to donors and funders towards a more equitable embrace of community writ large.

But affirmations are only the first step. Action is required to turn declarations into movements by adopting new behaviors and practices. In a prior blog post, I attempted to reframe fundraising as community building via a series of 12 suggested adjustments in traditional practice that help to actualize the Beneficiary Bill of Rights. I noted that such a shift starts with organizational culture by empowering ownership among all stakeholders, including the workforce. It includes rethinking fundraising from revenue generation to coalition building and more broadly defining what it means to give.

I also see the BBoR at play in institutional planning and who has a seat at the table in determining an organization’s forward trajectory linked to community. How are you activating the Beneficiary Bill of Rights in your organization?

[1] From Advocacy and Social Change lecture by Catherine Herrold, PhD, summer 2020.
[2] A note about language: The word “radical” is used here in the academic sense, as “fundamental”, “essential”, “profound”, or “progressive”, divergent from custom and different from its connotation as “extreme”, “revolutionary”, or “militant”.
[3] From PolSci Institute, 20 Sept 2025.

Source: Stout, Margaret. “Pursuing Community Change Through Radically Democratic Practice.” Reframing Nonprofit Organizations: Democracy, Inclusion, and Social Change. Angela Eikenberry, Roseanne Mirabella, and Billie Sandberg, eds. Irvine, CA: Melvin & Leigh, Publishers, 2019.