approach
working with VIVA means...
01
Supporting progressive and feminist philanthropy
○ Collaborative funds, feminist funds, and giving circles ○ International and local funds ○ Philanthropic strategies for systems change, advocacy, and lobbying ○ Field catalysts and philanthropic affinity groups ○ Trust-based philanthropy, feminist principles of philanthropy, and Black equity principles in grantmaking and organizational culture ○ Equitable disaster response and rapid response grantmaking
02
Donor advising and donor organizing
○ Developing your vision & giving plan ○ Recommending organizations ○ Applying an equity lens, gender lens, and intersectional lens ○ Understanding the spectrum from social change to direct service ○ Supporting racial justice, gender justice, environmental justice, youth justice, reproductive justice, LGBTQI+ justice, economic justice ○ Community organizing and power-building, including funding 501c4s ○ Democracy, integrated voter engagement, and voting rights ○ Gender lens investing ○ Convening funder briefings and leading philanthropic workshops
03
Writing for impact and advocacy
○ Impact studies, reports, and briefs ○ Guest contributor pieces ○ NGO shadow reports to CEDAW Committee, Universal Periodic Review ○ Landscape mapping and analysis ○ Keynotes and talking points ○ Research and data analysis ○ Annual reports
04
Building communities and stakeholder engagement
○ Facilitating peer learning communities ○ Designing workshops and trainings ○ Coordinating delegations and proposing conference sessions ○ Participatory grantmaking & evaluation ○ Focus groups, in-depth interviews
05
Funder briefings and donor development
○ Curating virtual funder briefings ○ Donor development strategies ○ Donor engagement ○ Funder briefings ○ Grant proposals ○ Individual major gifts ○ ODA - government and multilateral grant management
06
Supporting movements & networks for racial and gender justice & democracy
○ Advocacy plus inside/outside power strategies ○ Theories of change and results-based management ○ Advising re. fiscal sponsorship ○ Network development and building coalitions ○ Donor organizing and fundraising
Founder & President
of VIVA
Sarah Vaill is the founder and president of VIVA Strategy | Vital. Intersectional. Vibrant. Advising + Strategy. VIVA is a consulting practice for racial justice and gender justice through global feminist and collaborative philanthropy, philanthropic advising, donor organizing, and strategic campaigns and communications. Client partners range from Mama Cash, the Black Excellence Project, and Liberty Hill Foundation to HNW families and individuals. In 2024, Sarah and VIVA colleagues co-authored Change That Lasts, a 40-year impact study for the international feminist fund Mama Cash, tracking decades of wins by feminist movements for reproductive justice, environmental justice, economic justice, and more. VIVA is also developing a training program on how to fund 501(c)4s, an initiative on intersectionality in philanthropy, and a network of philanthropic advisors working with a gender lens.
Proud to have worked with...
