The Complexity of Social Change
Group photo at P150’s annual conference.
As a member of P150, I was honored to participate in three days in concert with some of the world’s leading philanthropic advisors.
Incubated by Schmidt Futures, P150 is a collaborative of global philanthropy advisors working together to move more money, more impactfully, towards efforts that can change the world. This innovative community of almost 400 members across 18 countries represents over $50B in philanthropic dollars.
Over the course of the week, we joined disruptors, innovators, scientists, and collaborators to workshop new ways to unlock capital towards the world’s most pressing needs. We left inspired, filled with hope, and ready to take action. Here are some of my takeaways:
1. Becoming a strategic and thoughtful philanthropist is a journey.
At JHP, we know that philanthropy is personal. Yet, as burgeoning philanthropists begin to crystallize their perspective and crave real, measurable impact, they often realize they cannot do this work alone. Donors must self-reflect, learn, and collaborate to maximize their impact and begin to drive real change.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed (and even risk-averse) when embarking on a philanthropic initiative. You may ask yourself: are we making the ‘best’ choice with our philanthropic capital? How do we decide where to plug in? What role do we play– seed funding, venture funding, challenge grants, growth funding– and how will we know if we have been successful?
You’re not expected to know it all. As one colleague at the retreat reminded us: think about focusing on ‘learning goals’ for your philanthropy before you get to ‘impact goals.’ After all, the journey is part of the destination.
Mapping the ecosystem of economic development during a breakout session.
2. Social change is complex.
When a philanthropist is ready to go deep in an impact area, there is much to uncover. An intersectional approach to philanthropy can help you better understand and respond to the needs of marginalized communities by considering the complex dynamics of identity, classifications, and social systems. Or exploring the social movement ecology framework developed by Carlow Saavedra and Paul Engler at the Ayni Institute can help you understand the landscape of a specific change effort. These frameworks help funders navigate questions like: what are the greatest leverage points? Where do we lean? How will systemic change happen?
Overall, there are many ways to approach social change. If we want to have the greatest impact, it’s important to consider the complexity of the issue you seek to address.
3. There is tremendous value in community – for us, as advisors, and for philanthropists.
The role of a philanthropy advisor is to serve as a guide, subject matter expert, and a facilitator. We ensure donors, families, foundations, and corporations have a thoughtful, actionable, and sustainable plan in place for their giving. Ultimately, we are here so that our clients don’t have to do this important work alone.
Philanthropists should also expand their peer network, perhaps by joining a learning community like Forward Global, Nexus, or Founder’s Pledge.
As we have discussed, social change in philanthropy is complex, and there are many ways to approach this as a philanthropist. We don’t have to do this alone, nor should we.
At the end of the day, none of us are doing this work in a silo. We are part of a community of change agents who have the honor, privilege, and responsibility to leverage philanthropic capital to catalyze or support change in some of humanity’s most pressing challenges. It is a privilege, and an honor to assist you in your efforts.
So, our question to you is:
What are you willing to take on? And how can we help you get there?
Nancy Anderson-Weber and the members of P150’s Women & Girls Leadership working group.