Trust-Based Philanthropy and the Shift Toward More Nuanced Donor-Doer Relationships
Keywords:
trust based philanthropy, doner-doer , social sector, bridgespanAbstract
The concept of trust in philanthropy is often interpreted as an all-or-nothing binary, which can make it feel inaccessible or “non-strategic” for many donors. Our fear is that this chills, rather than encourages, broader philanthropic experimentation with power-shifting. To that end, this essay seeks to answer two questions:
- What explains philanthropic behaviors that remain stuck in a paradigm of control?
- What beliefs and assumptions can donors examine to build greater trust with grantees?
To explore these questions, we pulled in knowledge from other fields – the social sciences and for-profit investing – to shed new light. Our essay is more about asking questions than providing answers and is meant as a provocation for challenging our collective thinking. Hopefully, it encourages curiosity, vulnerability, and openness to greater experimentation.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Kathleen Fleming, Preeta Nayak, Jeff Bradach, Zach Slobig (Author)
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