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PEAK Grantmaking

Weekly Reads – December 11, 2020

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A roundup of timely insight from the grantmaking community and beyond.

“In traditional philanthropy, there is a one-sided seesaw of power. The funder holds all the power while the grantee dangles in the air holding a fragile crucible of need, waiting for the grantor to make the next move, and wondering helplessly what it might be. In such a context, what does it take for those in power to build and nurture a culture of trust? I’ve come to realize that trust has a deep architecture, and is built one respectful brick at a time.” [more]
– Paula Daniels, Center for Good Food Purchasing, on Trust-based Philanthropy

“[T]actical shifts in form/application design – fully embracing Trust Based Philanthropy will often require the deeper work of strategic and cultural alignment. We also know that small steps can have a large impact, so if your foundation is interested in these principles, a few tactical shifts in your forms can be a great place to start.” [more]
– Kenny Li and Tierney Smith, on Grantbook

“For philanthropy to truly have a transformative impact, we must make building and shifting power a fundamental criteria across all our various missions, visions, issue areas.” [more]
– Farhad Ebrahimi, Chorus Foundation, on Center for Effective Philanthropy

“New technology purchases can represent significant investment for a nonprofit. […] What we discovered may not surprise you: many decisions are missing the benefit of a thoughtful ROI analysis, which means the sector is probably not using technology as strategically as it could.” [more]
– Return on Investment in Nonprofit Technology Decisions, Tech Impact