Last year's dose of brilliance
"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which Is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” – Confucius
Table of Contents
1. Overview
2. Alternative Governance Models
3. Systems Thinking
4. Returning to Philanthropy's Roots
5. What's Next
Key Takeaways
Governance is leadership at scale and can provide a framework for downstream values-based planning, management, teamwork, and operations.
Systems thinking is not systems change but can lead to understanding and demonstrating whether or not change is needed and how.
There are tremendous possibilities in treating philanthropy in terms of its roots and literal definition: the “love of humanity”.
On Lessons Learned
This is the time of year I enjoy spending in reflection. Budgeting time to review and consider.
This year I came across a couple of things that have stuck with me and really improved my thinking. They are brilliant, even if not novel, because of how they challenge mental models and give permission to ask, listen, think, approach, and re-think issues from better, less traditional angles.
You should know what we’ve learned last year. You can find Part 1 here.
In this post we highlight the beauty of alternative governance models, systems thinking, and returning to philanthropy’s roots.
Alternative Governance Models
Last year I had the privilege of attending a phenomenal webinar that really broke the mold of board governance. Literally. For anyone interested in working in new ways (nonprofits, for profits, or public administration), particularly at the board level, this is for you.
TSNE Partners in Social Change offered a training called “Reimagining Governance for Nonprofit Organizations, Networks, and Coalitions” led by Judy Freiwirth, Psy.D and Nesly Metayer, Ph.D. They offered multiple board governance models under the banner of governance as decision making with community and for the community. The four governance frameworks they presented included, (1) purpose driven board leadership, (2) network governance, (3) community engagement, and (4) liberatory governance.
This resonated with me for a number of reasons. The primary reason was the focus on principles or values-based decision making to drive any specific board framework (or combination) and its implementation. Second, remembering governance is a function, not a structure really shaped my thinking on this subject. Thinking this way allows for more creativity, but also pragmatism about why governance can and should be imagined for not just the organization or agency but the community. It functions to support decision making for the community and with the community. More than a beautiful concept, it is a beautiful reality!
Learn with me
This was part of the Better Nonprofit Management learning series. Reach out for more information or to ask for more info. Upcoming training in this series is posted here.
An example of liberatory governance here.
An article on community engagement governance here and network governance here.
A 101 on purpose driven board leadership here.
My takeaways
Governance is what you make of it.
Governance is leadership at scale and can provide a framework for downstream values-based planning, management, teamwork, and operations.
What I’ll do this year
Take a deep dive. There’s so much more to learn and so many opportunities to put this into action!
Build out some tools and tips to help others learn and take advantage of those opportunities.
Systems Thinking
Last year the Stanford’s Social Innovation Review offered a webinar on “Systems Thinking for Social Entrepreneurs, Philanthropists, and Policy Makers” with Paul Brest, Former Dean and Professor Emeritus (active) at Stanford Law School. What a change of pace! The webinar was not just a way to think about how to better make your case or consider systems in your approach or analyses of social issues. Instead, the webinar presented a concrete formula for presenting and testing hypotheses about social change. This begins with understanding that systems thinking looks at ways systems are interrelated through cause and effect and then considering where to intervene to solve the problem.
The best part? Demonstrating how to develop and use systems maps to show how systems can change and whether or not change is needed. Empirical data and expertise are used to identify a spectrum of solutions or interventions as well as unintended consequences.
I loved that this was more than just talking about change but showing where it can happen. I also love that this knowledge and how to apply it is absolutely free.
Learn with me
You can take the free online course here…and then talk with certainty about how to implement the change you seek.
Takeaways
Systems thinking is not systems change but can lead to understanding and demonstrating whether or not change is needed and how.
Systems change models help to avoid errors in decision making by providing an illustration of the interrelated elements in a systems and where change can happen.
What I’ll do this year
Review the course.
Sample the tools.
Practice thinking in interconnected elements.
Returning to Philanthropy's Roots
Late in December I read something that blew me away. Anne Helen Petersen, author and podcast host of Culture Study, interviewed Amy Schiller who is challenging the way we do philanthropy. This time taking it back to the roots of the word itself: love of humanity. Admittedly, I love a well-researched theory and hypothesis, but this presented me with some fresh opportunities to confront the way I think of, participate in, and consult on philanthropy.
I loved the discussion about the various ways philanthropy recreates power structures, especially with its constant emphasis on metrics. Even more striking was the (not uncommon) refrain around how philanthropy efforts can objectify people when it becomes so aligned to capitalism, particularly when it is consumption oriented. However, this discussion went a few levels deeper. Think gift catalogs and the sometimes unconscious goal of making the people to be helped into forces or engines for economic productivity (their own, local, or just generally).
Even more refreshing was the way the discussion presented the issues – not as efforts to bash or systems to tear down, but models of thinking and acting that have inverses and consequences and ultimately may muddy the waters around real cultural and systemic change. So much to chew on both past and present, including why some novel approaches avoid some of the pitfalls (hello Lebron James!). Anyway, it is worth a read if only to get an appetizingly open and nuanced take on philanthropy beyond the politics, systems, rules, and best practices. No, it is not a fluffy piece about loving your neighbor, so much as an inquiry into what real love of humanity can look like based on new and old approaches that achieve more than “good numbers”.
Learn with me
My Takeaways
Fund development and administration could benefit from broader thinking about impact and outcomes.
Food for thought:
Why does a good outcome need to be measurable?
Why is it necessary to weigh the productiveness of a person as a result of an act of charity (love)?
What justification for charity (love) will be enough to justify an investment in lives?
Isn’t this just capitalism again and again?
What I’ll do this year
Finish the book.
Practice thinking in new terms.
Give broader choices and recommendations for building programs and identifying outcomes.
“A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it.” - Frederick Douglass
What’s Next
Consider
What have you come across that was a dose of brilliance last year? Share with me!
What will you do with the doses of brilliance?
Test It Out
Better Nonprofit Management Training calendar, TSNE, available here.
Thinking in Systems Course, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Center for Social Innovation, Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, available here.
Schiller, Amy. The Price of Humanity: How Philanthropy Went Wrong - and How to Fix It. Melville House Publishing, 2024, available here.
Stay Tuned
Watch this space for more lessons learned.
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This post is part of the “Lessons Learned” series.
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