Weekly Reads – January 10, 2020

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

“4 questions for funders to sit with as you learn to let communities lead: What is the risk of not shifting power to communities? … What power are you willing to give up? … How might you better understand the strengths of communities? … How can we work together across our sector to reduce burdens on communities?” [more]
—NCRP blog

“The big question for #philanthropy and civil society should not be ‘what do we do this year?’ The big questions now should galvanize civil society writ large to ask what has been our role, collectively, in creating today’s trust-challenged times?”  [more]
—Philanthropy and Digital Civil Society: Blueprint 2020, The Annual Industry Forecast by Lucy Bernholz

“Equity leadership acts as a catalyst – not an end point. ‘This work starts with people because leadership is required to make progress … But if we are truly to become a more equitable and just organization, a liberatory organization where everybody belongs, then the culture and structures of the organization will necessarily need to evolve and change.’” [more]
—LaShawn Routé Chatmon, National Equity Project, on Bridgespan blog

“In global development, where the most important social problems are complex and require structural change, we need to see fewer day traders and more long-term investors. This doesn’t mean we grant makers need to give nonprofits blank checks and unlimited flexibility. It does mean, however, that we must adjust our timelines and that our persistence must match the size of our ambitions.” [more]
—Tim Hanstad, Chandler Foundation, in Chronicle of Philanthropy

These key tech trends will shape philanthropy in 2020: More organizations will converge as one to tackle big problems; greater adoption of machine learning and artificial intelligence; and blockchain will become the ‘connective tissue’ for philanthropy. [more]
—Madeline Duva, Fluxx, in Forbes