I have been considering the importance of better listening over the last few days. Many voices are being raised in Canada calling for reflection, learning and inclusion in response to the grief and anger being expressed by Indigenous communities, and by other communities as well. People are talking about “hearing” these voices. That is necessary and important. […]
Is Change Coming to Philanthropy?
Is Change Coming to Philanthropy? The pandemic has changed us all, at least in the short term. Is it too soon to come to conclusions on how the pandemic has changed philanthropy? In an interesting recent piece, Ben Soskis, a historian of philanthropy, comments on the shifts that he perceives in what he calls the […]
Smart Data, Smarter Charities
Do discussions about “data” make your eyes glaze? Why is it important for you to pay attention and why now? The answer is that, as the last two years have shown us, we need good data more and we need it urgently. We are surrounded by a sea of data. In the digital age, we can […]
The Deep Importance of Language in Philanthropy
How much does language matter to philanthropy? Deeply, as it turns out. A stimulating piece by Rhodri Davies from the Charities Aid Foundation on the uses and misuses of philanthropic language got me thinking recently about how much it affects us. I can’t count the number of times that I have seen the word “philanthropy” […]
Evidence, Policy and Practice: Charities and Disbursements
The 2021 federal Budget made disappointingly few regulatory announcements affecting charities, although it did commit to important new spending that will support many of the charities and beneficiaries who have been hard hit in the pandemic. There is no shortage of policy ideas and suggested law and regulation changes for the charitable sector. We have […]
Today’s Crisis, Tomorrow’s Challenges
This has been an extraordinarily hard year for communities; the urgency of present needs has intensified the pressure on philanthropy to provide more resources, more flexibly, to more diversified recipients. It is certainly true that endowed foundations can act as counter-cyclical sources of funds to ease the strain on struggling organizations and charities. And a very […]
Reimagining the Post Pandemic World
A year ago, towards the end of April 2020, Philanthropic Foundations Canada hosted a conversation about Canadian philanthropy and its commitment to a world in the throes of a growing pandemic. In that conversation, the participants were forward-looking. Even though we were being pressed by fear to hunker down, to think locally, we wanted to look […]
Philanthropy and the Pandemic Year: Past and Future
This past week was the first anniversary of the global pandemic and the end of a remarkable twelve months that we have experienced together. As with other anniversaries, this one prompts a reflection on what happened, how we reacted and what is to come. This is my contribution, reflecting in particular on how Canadian philanthropy […]
Next Philanthropy: Taking the Long View
Many years ago, I read a mind-expanding book called The Art of the Long View, by Peter Schwartz, an American futurist. It’s a book about telling stories – about the future, or as many futures as you can imagine. Written as a tool for strategic planners using the techniques of scenario planning, it also makes a […]
Learning, Plumbing and Imagination
What do learning, plumbing and imagination have to do with each other? They’re all connected to philanthropy’s response to the pandemic and after. As we wait through this seemingly interminable time to the end of the pandemic, we can reflect on what we have learned (and are still learning). What are foundations and funders of various […]