I was reading through some old conference notes and I saw a quote that re-inspired me. One of the speakers was talking about change in the field of philanthropy said "when you see a wave coming, stand up on your board and ride it, instead of sitting still and waiting to get crushed. You'll look like a genius because you rode what was already happening instead of fighting it." I think there are a lot of waves coming that foundations are comfortable ignoring including:
- generational trends that are changing the field,
- increased regulation of foundations,
- the rise of donor advised funds,
- increased scrutiny of investments, and
- calls for accountability regarding diversity of foundation boards and staff.
3 comments:
Well said-I wish I could have read it a few weeks ago as we began our organizational restructuring process. It was a new experience for me, and I was pretty anxious about what it would mean for my job. As a result, I resisted it at first because I was not feeling heard. Now that the new plan is coming to light, it isn't such a big change as I had thought.
How do we best negotiate a process where we are not feeling heard? And still remain open to change?
RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH.....
As a youngun' in the field, I don't have much time under my belt, but what I have learned is that you can't change foundation policy on experiential evidence alone.
pick an issue (which, for me is the most challenging part), do some research, get published, and then get busy. we need to serve on these panels, guys, not just be observers.
Once we become educated in these issues from a quantitative perspective, we can start to build on the knowledge that we accumulate.
Stories change hearts...numbers change policy....keep up the awesome work! a
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