By Diana Aviv, Independent Sector
The commentary below appeared in Exponent Philanthropy’s recent publication Outsized Impact, a report on philanthropy with few or no staff and the trends shaping its impact.
Reading up on philanthropy, I recently was reminded that the ancient Greeks so often got many things right. “To give away money,” said Aristotle, “is an easy matter and in any man’s power. But to decide to whom to give it and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every man’s power nor an easy matter.”
Philanthropy, done effectively, is hard work, with quite a due diligence checklist. As donors consider in what arena they want to see needle-moving change, top of mind is likely to be the vehicles—most often, the nonprofit grantees—through which they do their work. It is through these organizations that many funders are able to realize their goals and, in some cases, accomplish even more than they had hoped.
Bringing different resources to the relationship
Donors potentially bring to the table a lot more than financial resources. Donors have the potential advantage of a broad understanding of a given field, knowledge of the various groups working on particular sets of issues, and of the different approaches they use. The most experienced donors have shared that some of the best ways to learn about the work in a given field is to connect directly with the people working on the ground: the doers.
Donors and doers alike inhabit the same broad environment. Doers typically toil in the trenches and that brings them close to the issues, needs, and realities of the challenge they are trying to meet. Donors have perspective, gained from talking to many people and seeing the problem and what needs to be done from many angles. Doers often have the community networks, the experience with what works, and the ability to collaborate in partnership with others. Each brings to the relationship a set of distinctive assets and potential skills that can only make an active partnership between them more powerful. This interdependence is the heart of highly effective work with a combination of vision, perspective, grit experience, and shared passion that brings the parties together even before any formal relationship has been affirmed.
