Sagesse’s Post

Are you part of a trust or foundation, or interested in challenging your assumptions to enhance how your organisation approaches evidence, impact and learning? Building on recent thinking, we've developed a tool to help with this. Get in touch with my colleague Henry Lane to learn more!

📈 We've been delighted with the feedback to our article about disconfirming evidence in philanthropy, recently published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The article highlighted a critical gap: while many foundations pursue ambitious systemic change, they often lack structured methods for integrating feedback that challenges their assumptions. This isn't just a theoretical problem—it affects impact. 💡 We've turned these insights into action with our tailored tool for foundations and philanthropies. Our approach helps organisations embed a culture of disconfirming evidence, enhancing strategic decision-making and building stronger learning systems. Why does this matter? Systemic change demands not only bold ideas but the courage to adapt and evolve. Engaging with disconfirming evidence is key to improving decision-making, building trust with partners, and achieving lasting impact. Curious about how this could strengthen your foundation's strategic approach? We'd love to talk. 🤝 Reach out to Henry Lane or Andy Martin here on Linkedin or email henry@firetail.co.uk for an initial conversation. #Philanthropy #StrategicImpact #Consulting #LearningCulture https://lnkd.in/ef3Zcq2j (links in comments)

Foundation friends, have you started thinking about your New Year's resolutions yet? Maybe you'd like to strengthen your organisation by building stronger learning systems, or enhancing partner relationships? Or maybe you'd like to kick off 2025 by improving strategic decision-making or making more confident resource allocation? Or all the above? Firetail has just come out with a new framework that can help you do just that! Please see below for the scoop, and reach out to my brilliant colleague Henry Lane at henry@firetail.co.uk to find out more. #strategy #impact #foundations #learningsystems #strategicpartnerships #decisionmaking #resourceallocation #socialsector #philanthropy #globalgiving

I would like to share with you interesting good practice examples on #CommunityPhilantrophy, for example 1. Talk about community philantrophy inside your organization; 2. Facilitate the co-creation of organizational game changers and then step aside; 3. Cultivate power sharing partnerships: https://lnkd.in/efsBfdqx #ShiftThePower #developmentcooperation

Dear Fellow Leaders, In our roles as founders, CEOs, and senior managers, we steer our organisations towards prosperity and success. Today, I want to discuss a powerful strategy: integrating philanthropy and community engagement. Genuine acts of giving go beyond boosting profits; they transform how our companies are perceived and their societal impact. Business transcends numbers; it's about our influence on the world. Through philanthropy, we align with causes beyond profit, fostering community ties and enhancing our reputations. This commitment distinguishes us as beacons of integrity and compassion. Sustainable growth hinges on social responsibility and ethical conduct. Embedding these values attracts loyal customers and inspires positive change. Leading with empathy cultivates collaboration, innovation, and excellence. True expertise includes leading with vision. Leveraging our knowledge for meaningful philanthropy and community partnerships fosters mutual benefit. Our journey towards success through giving is transformative. Companies committed to giving consistently outperform peers. By investing in communities, we create a legacy of positive change. I urge you to adopt a mindset of abundance, compassion, and purpose. Weaving philanthropy, community engagement, and ethics into our businesses propels us to new heights. Let's champion growth through giving, shaping a better world. Warm regards, Joseph S Farodoye #giving #growth #kindness #philanthorpy #community #help

I love the way Mandy Van Deven has articulated how she sees herself - a multidisciplinary field catalyst, network weaver, system leader, ecosystem steward. This really resonates, as so often we are pigeon- holed into one job title and it doesn't reflect the complex nature of the work we do. In reality, there are very few jobs which allow you to do the above and I'm lucky that Simon Antrobus gave me the space to develop in this way. However, as funding in the sector becomes increasingly challenging, I think philanthropists and grantmakers will need the ability to connect, to sense-make, to convene, to build alliances and to facilitate and enable, if they are to focus on social change. #Transformative Philanthropy.

This article authored in the Stanford Social Innovation Review by my brother, mentor and friend Trabian Shorters is worth your time. In recent months, I had the opportunity to attend the Stanford Social Innovation Review Nonprofit Management Institute with a cohort of Boys & Girls Club CEO’s from around the country, and be a major contributor to the Next Narrative Summit mentioned in the article. What I learned: We need more builders than fixers in the social impact sector to help young people reach their most worthest aspirations and potential. Great Read! https://lnkd.in/evcpWmsP

In this fast paved, constantly moving world of AI and innovation, some things in our sector should never change. Good governance is one; it's the bedrock of a solid effective leadership in any organisation, and one I'm constantly being reminded of. For the charity and social & community business sectors the need for a clear written delegations of roles & duties across the board has never been more important. The "who, what, when and how" of board roles allows transparency, sets clear expectations and avoids confusion over who does what, why and how to monitor and report. We shouldn't loose sight of the simple things that make things work while we consider the big changes around us and how we respond to this change.

Are you a senior-level executive or leader from government, nonprofit, and corporate organizations with an interest in equity-related policy-making? Join #CIDFacultyAffiliates Zoe Marks and Teddy Svoronos for their online Executive Education program, Evidence for Equity, this January. Learn to engage in data-driven, evidence-based policymaking through an equity lens. #policymaking #equity #executiveeducation https://bit.ly/3NHTFr6

In the years before COVID hit, lots of us were making experiments with organisational structures that would enable participation, rather than stifle it except for the few. Here's a great analysis, worth revisiting, of the deeper truths of our organisational life, as well as the limits of self-organising teams. "The refusal to practice patience, listen deeply, meet people on their own terms, honor stories, and understand complex interconnectivity lies close to the heart of many of the ills our society is perpetuating. Unfortunately, these mistakes are seen as successes when they enable quick decisions, straightforward thinking, and “rational” deliberation directed toward measurable goals and profits." My hunch is that this trauma we're all in, and the speed we're all in, are the double helix around which our deepening crisis is built. Listening takes time. Knowing your story, and then telling it, also takes time. What are you willing to give up, towards this unhurried sense of being that is yours by birthright? #indigenouswisdom #traumainformedleadership https://lnkd.in/gg7R34Sq