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“When you think about your local ecosystem, who’s engaged in your movement?” - John Harper, CEO of FSG   At Day 2 of Collective Impact Forum’s Annual Summit, we had an incredible plenary conversation on power-building, trust, and supporting movements beyond moments of reckoning. 10 years after Ferguson, we heard from grassroots organizers and funders in St. Louis on how they are partnering to sustain the movement for racial and economic justice. Some insights from the conversation:   💭 We need to activate the entire ecosystem in order to sustain and scale movements. 💭 Collaboration needs to be someone’s job — a well-resourced part of their job. 💭 Philanthropy alone is not enough. Philanthropy needs to be a resource to activate the power and scale of government and the private sector. We ended with this powerful quote from A. Phillip Randolph on the need for collaborative infrastructure: “At the banquet table of nature, there are no reserved seats. You get what you can take, and you keep what you can hold. If you can't take anything, you won't get anything, and if you can't hold anything, you won't keep anything. And you can't take anything without organization.”   Huge thank you to Jason Q. Purnell of James S. McDonnell Foundation and Charli Cooksey of WEPOWER for all their incredible words of wisdom! 👏

Chicago’s nonprofit sector is proving that innovation knows no bounds—leading the way with groundbreaking solutions that meet unmet needs. From United Way's 211 Metro Chicago helpline to Feeding America's MealConnect app and Disability Lead’s DEI leadership model, nonprofits are showing how innovation can transform lives. Read more about these inspiring examples and the 23rd annual Chicago Innovation Awards in this thought-provoking piece by Luke Tanen, President & CEO of Chicago Innovation.   https://lnkd.in/eeBZUehc

At CALO, we recognize generational diversity is a powerful asset in the nonprofit world. Our latest blog explores how organizations can bridge generational divides to drive collective impact and achieve their missions more effectively. Read the full blog to learn more about strategies leveraging generational diversity in your nonprofit!  https://lnkd.in/gRvszJm9

Recent meetings with local foundation leaders reminds me that this still needs to be said... trust-based philanthropy and tracking outcomes are not mutually exclusive. At Social Impact Advising Group, we know that giving grantees the flexibility they need doesn’t mean we lose sight of the impact. When funders, consultants, and nonprofit leaders focus on strong relationships and trust, we create space for real needs and true collaboration, while still setting clear goals. Finding that balance between trust and accountability isn’t just doable—it’s key to making real, lasting change. 

Back at my desk, I’m still buzzing with energy from #tribfest24! What a privilege to attend a panel discussion featuring influential foundation leaders. The conversation centered around philanthropy’s role in building a funding ecosystem to invest in scalable solutions to tackle society’s systemic problems. From these three giving their all – The Meadows Foundation, Knight Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – a few key takeaways on what works: 🚀  Catalyzing innovation: philanthropy can spark innovative solutions to complement public and private sector efforts toward sustainability & scale. 🧩 Complementing efforts: philanthropy can enhance the overall impact by tackling road blocks (within and outside philanthropy) and filling gaps to address unmet needs for children and families. 🔄 Coordinating partners: through building/convening coalitions of grant makers – and grant seekers – collaboration amplifies reach and effectiveness. This panel was a powerful reminder of the transformative potential of philanthropy when it’s strategically leveraged. Home to 20% of the US population, only 7% of funding from the 1,200 top philanthropies goes to rural areas. Save the Children US and partners show the value of investing in rural communities. I’m inspired by the insights shared and look forward to seeing how these ideas will shape the future of philanthropy – especially for rural America.

Check out my new blog, “Unlocking Collaborative Impact: Forging Mission-Purpose Synergy Between For-Profits and Nonprofits". In this blog, I discuss how both of these types of entities are now recognizing the power of collaboration in driving meaningful change. At the heart of this collaboration lies the alignment of missions and purposes – a concept that holds the key to unlocking transformative impact. You can read the full blog here ==> https://buff.ly/3VdrMeb #purpose #leadership #ecosystems #mpwrpeople

I just attended FSG’s webinar “Where Strategic Philanthropy Went Wrong”, based on the eponymous article published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The webinar and article are mostly focused on the resolving the problem of multiracial democracy in the US. It covered - with a different approach - the scalability problem that I have been observing in the market and that I had mentioned in my 2019 LinkedIn article about the need for partnerships between philanthropy and impact investors to scale impact. (see link in comments). Their thesis is that: - philanthropy has been focused on funding individual (non-scalable) programs through non-profits. - these programs have had limited impact because they did not achieve SCALE. - philanthropy should act as a facilitator to achieve system-level change through policy intervention and through work with governments. - philanthropy has to start influencing corporations and the impact investing movement. - philanthropy need to continue to explore how to ensure that beneficiaries keep a sense of agency The authors vouch for the concept of “empowering philanthropy”. 📈From my standpoint, I agree that philanthropy should try to achieve scale and facilitate scaling of net positive impact. I also agree that a dynamic and intentional collaboration should exist between philanthropy, the private sector and the government whose intervention is key to create an enabling environment. 🤔My approach is a little bit different, partly because I focus on other types of problems (circular economy, climate change, etc.). I believe that foundations should explore the concept of providing CATALYTIC CAPITAL beyond grantmaking. It is about providing more flexible and patient capital that is risk tolerant and can help mobilize more traditional investors, in frontiers markets or in challenging sectors. In a way, it’s about expanding the concept of blended finance beyond the world of Development Finance Institutions, especially relevant to scale up impact-driven companies. In fact, some foundations in Europe and in Australia have already created fund vehicles to channel investments towards impact investments… 🇺🇸In the US, the concept of PRI Program-Related Investments and MRI Mission Related Investments have existed since the 70s in the IRS tax code to allow foundations to make investments aligned with their charitable mission, in a way that may (or may not) generate market returns. MRI are expected to generate market returns… MRI and PRI paved the way for foundations to go beyond grantmaking (giving money at a loss) into what is known today as impact investing. Yet, these instruments have not been widely used according to a 2016 article from Wharton’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy (I know, it dates…). What did the article and/or webinar inspire you? #philanthropy #catalyticCAPITAL #systemicCHANGE

The impact of infrastructure funding can be difficult to measure. Progress can be slow and results can be costly, but there’s another side of the story that’s not being told. In partnership with Propel Philanthropy and WINGS, we are publishing an interview series that celebrates the funders who are the often-unsung heroes of this equitable social impact ecosystem and looks to those of tomorrow. We start the series with Stephanie Fuerstner Gillis of Raikes Foundation, who argues that we need is an ecosystem that’s aligned, and has a vision and a common definition of what better philanthropy looks like 👉 tinyurl.com/28y7mk3a

Hot off the presses! Founder, Tiffany Joy Greene, MBA, published "Unlocking Collaborative Impact: Forging Mission-Purpose Synergy Between For-Profits and Nonprofits". In this blog, Tiffany discusses how both of these types of entities are now recognizing the power of collaboration in driving meaningful change. At the heart of this collaboration lies the alignment of missions and purposes – a concept that holds the key to unlocking transformative impact. You can read the full blog here ==> https://buff.ly/3VdrMeb

“Because society’s problems cannot be solved without any cost to those with wealth and power, we cannot rely on the wealthy and powerful to find the solutions. Philanthropists need not come up with the answers to other people’s problems but should merely help empower people to improve their own lives as they choose. This does not mean that people can bootstrap their own success without any assistance; rather, the assistance they need is at odds with many of our current philanthropic and nonprofit practices.” If you’re working in nonprofit, philanthropy, or government — or you’re a donor or philanthropist — what Steve Phillips and Mark Kramer shared in their Stanford Social Innovation Review article "Where Strategic Philanthropy Went Wrong" and today’s FSG webinar likely won’t shock you. FSG CEO John Harper affirmed their contributions — and observed that Phillips and Kramer are “uplifting truths that many people have known for a while.” And yet, their observations and recommendations just might inspire more of us to think differently about cross-sector partnerships, the importance of trust in people and organizations, and localization vs. scale in creating social change. Along these lines, I launched Telescope Advising (https://lnkd.in/gUT_yyFT) to help mission driven leaders give shape to new ideas and pursue emerging opportunities. What can Telescope make happen for you? Let's connect!