Molly Wilkie’s Post

This morning, I virtually attended the Power of Philanthropy Symposium hosted by Kinetic. Una Osili from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy led the first part of the morning, and she shared many statistics on the state of giving and philanthropy in the United States. Excuse the poor quality, but I shared a screenshot of one of the slides below. The most striking thing about this slide is that only 21% of respondents trust other individuals to generally do what is right. Yes, the fact that only 39% of respondents trust nonprofit organizations is also concerning but let’s not forget that individuals lead nonprofit organizations. Individuals build relationships. Individuals share the story. Individuals make up the organization. I talk a lot about leadership and trust here, this statistic is why. The success of philanthropy depends on individuals building transparent and authentic relationships. Strong leadership and authentic individuals leading organizations matter. Gone are the days when people would write a check to an organization and trust the team to do the right thing with it. We have to prove that our work is making an impact. We have to take the time to build the trust necessary to have the “radical connections” I posted about yesterday. In every aspect of our work, we must put relationships first. This sometimes means leaning into discomfort, showing vulnerability, and allowing partners to join us. The organizations that shift the way we approach this work will be the ones that thrive in the future. #leadership #philanthropy #nonprofits #relationships #authenticity

Let's continue our exploration of Marts&Lundy's $10M+ Gifts Report. In this week's #FocusForwardWisdom, we share perspectives on the report from Marts&Lundy Practice Leaders Karen Callahan, Don Fellows and Mark Kimbell. We asked them these questions: Q. What do the findings in the $10M+ Giving Report suggest for the future of mega gifts? Q. What sentiments are emerging from Marts&Lundy’s campaign planning studies – particularly as regards personal interviews with major prospects and donors?     Q. What strategies should institutions consider given the trends we see in this report? Or, if not specific strategies, what actions can they take to inform conversations with leadership and boards? What questions should they be asking themselves?  Read their responses here: https://lnkd.in/ghP6HkN3 #megagifts #perspectivesonphilanthropy #fundraising

Hey, where's my $10 million? Last year, 272 donors made $10M+ #gifts totalling $10.9 billion. Those data, while striking, don't offer much insight into the individual stories underlying the breathtaking scope and impact of this transformative #philanthropy. There are patterns here that inform strategy for those organizations that could be in the running for such generous demonstrations of support. My wise and experienced colleagues Don Fellows, Mark Kimbell, and Karen Callahan share their perspectives on the trends and implications of these findings for #highereducation, #healthcare, and #schools. At first blush, it seems that these mega gifts are on the decline - until we recognize that Microsoft founder Bill Gates gave a total of $20 billion to his own foundation over 2021 and 2022. Removing those outliers shows the dollars about holding steady in 2023. That's good news for the charitable sector. Economic uncertainty, a complex political landscape, and #donor caution are all factors impacting giving behaviors. Higher education faces political headwinds connected both to global conflicts and domestic ideological divisiveness. Similarly, healthcare enterprises, contending with the complexity and fragility of the American health system, strive to show the impact of philanthropy and align donor objectives with institutional goals. In schools, trust in #leadership and alignment with donors' #values are crucial for successful philanthropic efforts. My colleagues offer suggestions that are evergreen in the practice of our craft: increased #transparency, addressing societal challenges with courage and clarity, demonstrating #impact, and fostering trust through personal engagement with #donors. Adjusting #fundraising approaches to be informed by and responsive to these trends and donor sentiments will be essential to the future health of the #nonprofit sector. Click below for a richer dive into these topics. What are you seeing in your corner of our sector?

Can Gen Z change the world? Capturing their passion for your mission-driven organization is paramount, but you must crack the code to harness this generation’s philanthropic power effectively. I can help you do just that. Moving businesses and leaders forward. Beyond the basics, beyond the obvious. #TerriSTurner #StrategicPlanning #MissionDrivenOrganizations #BusinessandLeadershipGrowthStrategist #workshops #training #communications

✨ Embrace Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy! This blog highlights the power of authentic relationships, deep engagement, and long-term commitment to philanthropy. Let's move beyond traditional grant-making and embrace change together >> https://bit.ly/3TT1Vsk #CLIP

"The critical issues facing our communities are too important and the need too urgent, to continue to carry out philanthropy in an ad hoc approach – we need to have a cohesive and ambitious vison, a focus on social justice and greater boldness in our aims. This is my call to action to philanthropy practitioners to see philanthropy as more than a transactional act of giving, and see it instead as a profound catalyst for social change." This has whetted my appetite enough to download this report. Sounds like we could learn a lot from the US approach to philanthropy. Exactly like we have a lot to learn from the South American approach to grassroots 'charity'. I applied what I learned in Sao Paolo in 2012 to creating Sharewear Clothing Scheme's horizontal model in 2013/14. South American 'charity' models and US philanthropy models sound like a winning combination for the long-awaited catalyst for real social change. The question is, who is brave enough to go there?

🌟 Exciting News! 🚀 Just published a case study in the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing (Wiley) showcasing the power of strategic partnerships through trust-based philanthropy. 🤝 Dive into the motivations, planning, and execution of a symposium that transformed relationships between a Foundation and its grantees, leading to sustained pathways, collaborations, and shared projects. 💡 Let's redefine the funder-grantee dynamic by eliminating competition and fostering collective, higher-impact work! Practical Takeaways: 💡 Funders hold the key to fostering collective, high-impact work. 💡 Funders are responsible for eliminating competition among supported organisations. 💡 Trust and collaboration pave the way for a stronger philanthropic ecosystem. ✒ Authors: Nora L. Jones; Andrew I. Epstein, Ph.D.; Megan Bair-Merritt; Stacy Drury; Lindsay Farrington, MBA; Anabel Fernandez; Julia M.Fleckman; Samantha Francois; Hannah Gilbert; Carey_Howard; Anita_Morris; Joanna Elkes Pierce; Mazvita Rankin, MPH; Kathleen Reeves; Andrew P. Steenhoff; Deborah James-Vance; Danielle Y. Scott; 🌐 Read the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/eUwxdK3w #Philanthropy #StrategicPartnerships #TrustBasedPhilanthropy #ResearchInsights #CollectiveImpact #Philanthropy 📖✨

So many things to learn and imbibe from here... Funding and leadership gems. Just two of the many quotes I am sitting with "The same way that any budget will always have a line item for staffing and for fundraising, there should be continuous investments in organizational development. Transformational organizational development is part of the cost of doing liberatory work. Philanthropy needs to understand that and make it part of what it’s funding — and, of course, large, multi-year, general operating grants are ideal." "As transparently as possible, I negotiate the tension between what we care about as funders and what the partners we resource care about, and try to design something that redistributes power so that the people who have the most to gain from this experimentation have the most power in figuring out how the experiment goes."

Becoming a Thought Leader: Christopher Cunney's Path to Health Equity Discover how Christopher Cunney became a thought leader and champion for health equity. Learn about his content creation, thought leadership, and philanthropic initiatives, all aimed at promoting health equity and creating a positive impact. #ThoughtLeader #HealthEquity #ContentCreation #Philanthropy #PositiveImpact #ChampionForChange #Innovation #Leadership #CommunityBuilding #ThoughtLeadership

Shout out to Katie Weeks for an incredibly insightful article on board leadership and the dynamics between #nonprofit #ExecutiveDirectors and #nonprofitboards. These conversations are so critical to understanding how effective nonprofits are managed. Strong organizations can only make a true impact on their community with strong, DIVERSE leadership at both the board and the nonprofit leader level. It works best when they work #TOGETHER! What insights did you gain from Katie's article? #nonprofitleadership #bettertogether #communityimpact #uncharitable