Meanwhile, the social service agencies, hospitals, school people and others on the foundation's grant list are lobbying their socks off. Unlike those institutions and agencies that find themselves embroiled in all sorts of legislative issues of crucial importance to them as institutions, community organizations have no institutional self-interests to pursue. Their interests are directly citizen interests, arrived at deliberately among a significant body of community residents. For their elected representatives and appointed officials, a community organization's voice is one of the more dependable indications of the people's point of view. If philanthropy literally means love of people, not love of institutions, that direct connection with the will of the community should be attractive.
Community organizations have essentially a pragmatic approach to their task.
Their initiatives cross over, jumble and ignore political and ideological stereotypes. In relations with the police department, for instance, a community organization may call simultaneously for more law and order and an end to police brutality. If that sounds conservative and liberal at the same time, that's fine. If you are a citizen pushing for better neighborhood police services, there need be nothing inconsistent in such a combination. Members of community organizations want to save what they have, win some improvements in services and opportunities, invent some new community resources, and break down some barriers between where they are now and the realization of the American Dream.