Veena Pankaj’s Post

📄 Our own J Marina Apgar's newest article addresses the "values turn" of evaluation, and explores the link between rigour, quality, and explicit choices about which #values matter in each specific evaluation exercise, all the way from concepts to practical choices of methodologies and tools. ✒️ Key themes for the #inclusive #rigour Co-Lab, such as #bricolage, use, or the enabling environment, are addressed here - read more to find out how they relate to axiological priorities of evaluation stakeholders.

I’m thrilled to announce the release of the 2nd Anniversary Issue of The Foundation Review from the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, focusing on the vital role of funders in advancing Democracy, Equity, and Power! This edition is a treasure trove of insights, featuring compelling papers from leading thinkers and practitioners in the field. Thanks to the generous support of our key investors, the entire issue is available as open access! Dive into key themes that will shape our discourse: #Equity, #PowerSharing, #DemocraticEngagement, #Accountability, #SystemsThinking, #Transformation. We are proud to publish the contributions of authors: Michael Patton, Ruth Richardson; Shaady Salehi, Pia Infante; Lauren Jacobs, Elly Matsumura, Rachel Rosner, Eric Wat; Marilyn Darling and Veena Pankaj; Kantahyanee Murray, PhD, Ji Won Shon, Ashley Barnes, MPA, Natalia Ibañez, Karuna Sridharan Chibber, Janelle Armstrong-Brown, Elvis Fraser; Jara Dean-Coffey (she/her/hers) Jill Casey; J Marina Apgar, Thomas Aston, Dr. Mieke Snijder, Tom Zwollo; Martena R., Blanca Flor Guillen-Woods, Dabney Brice, MPA, Liza Mueller; Allison K. Ralph, Ph.D., Doug Easterling, K. Jehan Benton-Clark, Scott Downes, Phillip Chung; and Wally Patawaran. Explore the issue:

In “Building a Multiracial Democracy” for Stanford Social Innovation Review, !Pia Infante highlights the need for trust-based philanthropy in order to grapple with deep-rooted inequities, and profiles our CEO Aria Florant in the process. Building a future where money and resources are equitably shared cannot happen without reckoning with the past. There can be no trust-based future without reckoning with the reality that philanthropy exists because of structural inequities. https://lnkd.in/gxvUG8qZ

For Stanford Social Innovation Review, our friends at The Bridgespan Group—Darren Isom, Cora Daniels, and Lyell S., spent some time imagining the future of equitable philanthropy with partners & peers, including Don Chen. They came up with five truths to move donors forward: 1. Movements need to be durable to allow focus on the long term. 2. Our differences are our superpower. 3. Sustainable progress is only possible through cross-racial solidarity. 4. The best way to disrupt a broken narrative is to replace it with a more beautiful and compelling one. 5. The prospect of winning should outweigh the risk of failure. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gHNzxhNQ

As we round out 2024 and gear up for a new year, the outlook for philanthropy in 2025 is bright. Examine key factors across the economy, politics, and society that are driving this anticipated growth and dig into our strategies to maximize your opportunities for impact in the year ahead. #2025philanthropytrends . . . Authored by: CJ Orr, Chief Executive Officer, Orr Group

NEW READ! ICYMI the Council on Foundations latest report: "Coming Together, Not Apart: How Philanthropy Supports Connection in a Time of Dangerous Division" is out (link below 👇) ! This report offers a powerful reflection on the work being done across the country to foster connection, bridge divides, and promote belonging at a time when many of us are grappling with deep societal divisions. I had the honor of contributing to this report, and being a part of the process has been both humbling and inspiring. The voices of so many incredible colleagues, partners, and mentors, including Alison Grubbs and Lauren Higgins from New Pluralists, Cary Simmons from the Trust for Public Land, Stephen Deline and Ella Barrett from The New Conversation Initiative, Wendy Feliz of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and Cecilie Surasky from the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, are reflected in its pages with authenticity and care. Big appreciation and 👏 to Nichole Argo for weaving so many voices together in conversation. The dialogue mirrors the offline conversations so many of us have been having as a field — conversations about how we relearn what it means to be in community, whether we share the same experiences and identities or not. This report gives me hope. It’s a reminder that while the challenges are many, we are doing important work and we are making progress. It highlights where the field of bridge-building and belonging work stands today, providing both a snapshot and a roadmap for the future. I believe we’ll look back at work like this as an important benchmark for how far we’ve come, grateful for the groundwork it laid in advancing an inclusive democracy. I’m excited about what’s to come, particularly the future installments of this series: in-depth case studies and strategies that will guide us as we continue to learn and grow together. Check it out! 👉 https://lnkd.in/g5jburm9 #Philanthropy #Belonging #BridgeBuilding #InclusiveDemocracy #Connection

Happy Friday! Here's part 3 of our series on innovation challenges in philanthropy. Sharing here as these concepts apply to innovators in any industry.. This video discusses the barrier that prevents systemic issues in the community from being solved and a different approach that overcomes the barrier. To put it plainly, we expect innovation to come from the wrong levels of stakeholders. Or, at a minimum, organizations expect partners to break through with innovative ideas without much support or incentive to do so. Through our experience as innovation consultants and our collaborations with philanthropic leaders, we've created a short video series for leaders to understand how to overcome 4 common barriers that maintain the status quo in philanthropy. You can watch the entire series on our website now: https://lnkd.in/g4et5Y-d

This recent piece by FSG argues that foundations committed to systems change need to take an ecosystem approach guided by the principles of trust based philanthropy to inform strategy development, program implementation, and learning and evaluation. This reorientation takes funders from positioning themselves as central to positioning themselves as one component of an ecosystem. This results in, among other things: Strategy development moving from being developed internally to being co-created with ecosystem partners; Strategy implementation expanding beyond siloed grantmaking for organizations to support for collaboratives and community-led solutions; and Learning and evaluation expanding beyond grant-level outcomes and accountability with proscribed outcomes to co-developing systems level outcomes and learning. The authors provide helpful examples and frameworks for each stage of the strategy lifecycle. For those of you who fund in systems change, what resonates with you?

Cross Sector Initiatives, #Trust in Metrics, Naming #Ethics & Racial Justice #Philanthropy (1); #Nonprofit Board #Advocacy #Advice (2); #Fundraiser #Training, #Staffing Turnover & #Storytelling (3): https://ow.ly/e4J850QTx01 https://ow.ly/iwm950QTx02 https://ow.ly/xmci50QTx00

In a few short months, the decisions and actions made by the next administration will have generational implications–not for just two or four years, but for decades to come. We must summon the courage to dream bigger to create a generational vision of collective care and belonging that will also have profound, far-reaching impact. We need a vision for the next 25 years—not just a reactionary response. This moment calls for shared imagination, focus, and heart that cuts across traditional silos and ecosystems of social impact, such as philanthropy, nonprofits, social enterprise, policy advocacy, movement spaces, interfaith-based initiatives, etc. It asks us to hold space for the hardest questions, curiosity, introspection—not to rush for answers, but to sit with the humility of not having them all. We must pause, listen deeply, and tend to the soil so we can grow something radically different. This is also a time for moral clarity and creativity—a bias towards action that is anchored in love and fueled by the anticipation of what our collective strength can produce. Although money alone cannot be our guide, philanthropy must show up to engage in longterm, flexible, experimental resourcing and with a learning orientation. Finally, we must continue to invest boldly in the most historically under-resourced leaders and organizations who are most proximate to the challenges and opportunities of this moment—the true architects of change. At the LeadersTrust, we are committed to this challenge of radically reimagining and building a different path forward with you. We know that this time, it must be collective. Let’s do things differently. Together. Will you join us?