social change

[The Pulse] Social Change Drivers & Difficulties

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The PulseBy Andy Carroll, Exponent Philanthropy

In our regular “Pulse” blog series, I explore trends influencing philanthropy by spotlighting articles, reports, and essays in the media. I cast a wide net, venturing beyond philanthropy and traditional topics to consider a variety of ideas, innovations, debates, and critiques. Read previous posts in the series   

It’s Not Foundation Money but Culture and Talent That Can Change the World 

In a study exploring why some social-change efforts achieve transformational results while others do not, Community Wealth Partners found that a strong internal culture plays an essential role in the ability of nonprofit organizations and foundations to achieve change on important issues. A strong organizational culture is one where rules for acceptable and unacceptable behavior are clear and regularly communicated, expectations for how people are managed and treated are well defined, and where individuals’ learning, growth, participation, and dignity are valued.

For decades, academics and leaders in the business world have understood that an organization’s strong culture contributes to its productivity, ability to attract and retain talent, and its bottom line. Now, culture is seen as linked to social change outcomes:

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The Pulse—Big Ideas: Guiding Donors to Social Change, Empowering Nonprofits, Renewing Civic Life

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The PulseBy Andy Carroll, Exponent Philanthropy

I regularly explore trends influencing philanthropy by spotlighting articles, reports, and essays in the media. I cast a wide net, venturing beyond philanthropy and traditional topics to consider a variety of ideas, innovations, debates, and critiques. Read previous posts in the series  

Lack of Guidance, Not Lack of Desire, May Be Limiting Social Change Philanthropy 

A recent study by Foundation Source and reflections by experienced philanthropic advisors shine a light on challenges faced by high net worth donors in diversifying their philanthropic investments. Donors’ penchant for giving to large, traditional, well-known organizations such as major universities, hospitals, and religious organizations may not always be their first preference, but a kind of default choice resulting from difficulties identifying smaller, lesser-known social change organizations. Funding social change takes more time and work; requires shedding a measure of privacy to go out into public to learn; and often requires taking on more risk. 

Nevertheless, the possibility of making significant progress on difficult and urgent issues donors care about, holds great appeal. There is tremendous frustration, experts say. 

Neither financial advisors nor the vast amount of information and data available online seems to be meeting the need for this type of guidance. High net worth donors may be looking for a network of trusted people—including peers—who are deeply knowledgeable about opportunities to advance social change and who can listen carefully, engage in discussions of values and goals, and guide donors without self-interest.

Getting Real About Funding Impact 

Dan Pallotta sees a damaging contradiction in the public’s attitude toward nonprofit organizations. On the one hand, donors expect nonprofits to operate lean, minimizing fundraising and operating costs; on the other, we expect charities to work harder and on a bigger scale to make real progress in addressing society’s urgent problems. To empower nonprofits to achieve what we expect of them, Pallotta asserts that we must invest boldly in developing nonprofits’ capacity and in their growth—just as we invest in building for-profit companies. To do this, we must take more smart risks.  

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Storytelling through Film: A Powerful Tool for Social Change

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By Sheila Leddy, The Fledgling Fund

I am sitting here this morning thinking about the proposals I will review over the next few weeks, most of which include a documentary film. Once again, I am struck by the power of film to inform, inspire, and hopefully ignite social change.

Many of us in philanthropy are focused on trying to solve entrenched and complex problems within our local communities and beyond – from education reform to environmental justice from health care to homelessness. We are faced with complex issues that require multifaceted solutions that range from changes in individual behavior to changes to national or even international policy and everything in between. We spend time thinking about the issues and analyzing data and then try our best to identify a strategy that will lead to solutions. We want to change in some way the status quo. Often the road to change involves engaging others in action. But, how can we move people to action and inspire a commitment to work for change?

At The Fledgling Fund, we believe that storytelling through film can be a powerful tool to engage audiences. A film, and the story it tells, can create a greater awareness of complex problems, and just as importantly it can highlight possible solutions. It connects viewers to its characters and can inspire those viewers to become involved in, or reconnected with, social change efforts. We begin to understand how an issue plays out in the lives of individuals, families and communities. When these films and stories are coupled with a strategy or campaign that provides clear opportunities for audiences to get involved, we see results.

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