Lucy Wurtz, CFRE’s Post

Community foundations are central to Australia’s plan to #doublephilanthropicgiving, recognised as the essential infrastructure for creating a culture for nationwide philanthropy to be able to thrive. In NZ, our young network is similarly poised to be central to reimagining and reshaping the future of philanthropy from within local communities. This is an inspiring article featuring incoming CEO of Community Foundations Australia, Ian Bird, a must read for anyone curious about the future of philanthropy. #community #philanthropy #communityfoundations #impact Philanthropy Australia Philanthropy New Zealand

Last week we said that we’d share thoughts on Fozia Irfan OBE's important new report, ‘Transformative Philanthropy: A Manual for Social Change’. This post focuses on our initial key takeaway from the Manual, although we're sure that we'll keep returning to it over the coming months! Key takeaway: The manual identified the values and principles needed to develop #TransformativePhilanthropy What is #TransformativePhilanthropy? It’s a push for collective action that recognises that the challenges in the UK are not isolated problems, but deeply connected systemic issues that require holistic, long-term solutions. “It places at its heart, principles of social justice but also includes a number of other dimensions, necessary for social change. It is a concerted effort to recognise the failings of traditional philanthropy and build a new paradigm which reimagines the place we inhabit, the role we play and the values we embody.” The Manual provides detail on the necessary phrases for turning #TransformativePhilanthropy into real-world action, such as phase one, Grounding, that includes using a social justice framing and phase three, which is about embodying being community centric, intersectional and focussed on movement. The Manual ends by stating that “the independence of philanthropy means that we are one of the few institutions who has the ability to purposefully work across siloes and traditionally divided sectors – this should be our superpower.” We agree that this *should* be our superpower and believe that #TransformativePhilanthropy is an incredibly helpful model that we can all use to support more examples of collective action, rooted in social justice, to tackle systemic issues. Other things to know about the Manual: -         This manual relates to institutional philanthropy in the UK, although its content was inspired by some international work. -         The original focus for this research was racial inequality, however what emerged is a much broader focus on social justice. Therefore, some language and quotes cited, were given within a racial inequality context. We’d like to thank Fozia once again for so generously sharing such an inspiring and practical contribution to philanthropy. We hope many more people will consider and use the Manual in their own work! You can find the full report here at Why Philanthropy Matters: https://lnkd.in/eDQKEb24. There's also an accompanying Workbook that can be downloaded for free. #grants #grantsmanagement #funding #philanthropy #foundations #transformativephilanthropy 

This article from the SSIR supplemental "The Future of Philanthropy is Trust Based" does a great job of summarizing a paradigm shift in how foundations and grantees see and implement accountability. The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project believes that "accountability requires self-examination, humility, curiosity, and a willingness to change." Accountability for CTAOP means that there is "an agreed-upon process for both funders and grantee partners to be held responsible." Thus, trust based philanthropy is not about doing away with accountability (as some critics state), but about redefining and expanding what accountability is, for both grantees and foundations. https://lnkd.in/g__XDQz6

“The longer we do this, the more we realize that conventional philanthropy, like many other sectors, keeps power where it is.” ~Charlize Theron, founder of the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project She writes with Lorrie Fair Allen and Ashlee George, leaders at the fund, about the organization’s allyship approach to working with the young people and communities it supports: “If we are honest with ourselves, philanthropy’s conventional accountability practices often more closely resemble a comprehensive audit. Very rarely does a funder’s measurement of impact include any reflection on or evaluation of their own role in achieving the shared goal. Rather the focus is on judgment of the community partners’ work. Beyond receiving occasional feedback, few funders truly build mutual accountability—what we define as an agreed-upon process for both funders and grantee partners to be held responsible—into their work.” Read more about a more equitable, just approach to accountability: https://lnkd.in/eN69nrWr This is part of a collection of SSIR articles on a trust-based approach to philanthropy from the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project: https://lnkd.in/eaQTUnNx #philanthropy #grantmaking #equity #accountability #partnership

There is a Zulu saying, “Izandla ziyagezana” -- it means, “Hands wash each other.” This saying can help us understand what philanthropies need to do to meet today’s existential challenges: we need to change, and we need to change collectively. Thank you, Alliance magazine and Ese E., for your piece about the recent WINGS Forum (the first in 6 years!), which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, co-hosted by the The Africa Philanthropy Network (Formerly The African Grantmakers Network). The urgency of collective change was one of many important takeaways the conference had for northern and western donors to consider, including these: > Philanthropy as we know it is no longer viable. > More proactive approaches are required to meet the world's current challenges. > Community-driven solutions are more transformative than those dictated by donors. > Leadership distribution and delegation within organizations, too, can be transformative. > Philanthropy is inherently political and needs to challenge the status quo. It's clearly time for philanthropy to try something new, even revolutionary – if that means ending traditional philanthropic practices, so be it. At this moment of unrestrained violence, unimaginable need, and worsening environmental degradation, given the opportunity to save lives by empowering local partners, we need to be bold. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gwKaKgDg #trustbasedphilanthropy #powershift #givelocal #localexpertise

A philanthropy study reveals how African billionaires impacts continent  A recent study on philanthropy highlights the growing impact of African billionaires on the continent, as these affluent individuals increasingly recognize the importance of giving back to their communities. The study conducted by Business Insider Africa reveals that wealthy Africans are leveraging their resources to create positive changes across the continent. https://lnkd.in/eWS_TJD7 #businessinsider #africa #philanthropy #csrreporters

We’ve been overviewing some of the many place-based funders that support rural areas in the U.S. to shine a light on regions often neglected by national philanthropy. Here are a few of the lessons we’ve learned along the way. https://buff.ly/45sSbaZ #ruralgrantmaking #grantsforruralcommunities

Four provocations for Auckland to thrive in adversity (3 & 4): Further to my earlier post here is the balance of the provocations: Provocation 3: Philanthropy has a role to play in providing capital to innovate and catalyse change in Auckland's community and environmental initiatives and contributing more towards the city’s risk capital. While not large, the dollars are unique for the city as they can do things government or fee-for-service dollars cannot, including failing!   Provocation 4: The government is struggling to meet traditional responsibilities to their citizens, and there is a case for the community philanthropy to bridge some of the gaps in core public service provision.   #philanthropy #purpose #sharedvalue #communityinvesting Auckland Foundation Ian Short Melody Mobsby Tim Kay Shamal Dass Simon Bridges