Here's how you can creatively tackle societal challenges as a philanthropy professional.

Think global, act local. Consider the global issues humanity faces, from poverty and war to climate change. Then, act locally, harnessing the communities around you to drive change. As you start this work, collect data from the first day - about your activities, outputs, and outcomes. Simultaneously, monitor the data on the issues you aim to address and see how to increase your impact.

I agree but remember that not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts. Intelligent giving requires emotional intelligence.

Effective decisions require awareness of trends, listening to the voices of constituents, understanding the impact of your activities, anticipating trends and much more. All of that requires various forms of data. Making the investment in gathering and analyzing meaningful data can be hard for nonprofits to do but it's a crucial part of having a strong, effective organization. This is one reason unrestricted funding is so critical.

It is important to gather data from the community and population you want to serve. Let the population you serve guide your decision making. They know what’s important to them and what they will do. If you’re going to try and make a change to the way things are, make sure the people you serve have input in how the way things are is defined as well as the future they want.

In tackling societal challenges creatively as a philanthropy professional, harnessing the power of data is crucial. Leveraging data analytics allows you to identify critical needs within a community by observing trends and patterns. This strategic use of data ensures that your efforts are directed where they can make the most significant impact. Furthermore, data helps monitor the effectiveness of your initiatives, providing insights that guide necessary adjustments to enhance outcomes. This approach emphasizes that effective philanthropy involves not only giving but making informed decisions that drive sustainable change.

Truly navigating societal challenges at a root level requires more than engagement with the community--it requires building trust based relationships with community partners and grantees. Inequitable power dynamics have been implicit in the philanthropic sector since inception; any community engagement must be fostered with this in mind. A few ideas that I've seen help foster deep, impactful, and meaningful engagement: A community advisory board that has actual impact on policy Moving at the speed of trust--engagement based on quality of interaction, not quantity Meet community partners where they are Be willing to admit mistakes or harms that have been done (often unintentionally) in the past

Drawing from my experience, engaging locally is crucial for effectively tailoring philanthropic strategies. By partnering with local organizations and participating in community dialogues, I've gained nuanced insights that broader approaches often miss. This ensures that initiatives are not only relevant but also embraced by the community. Such collaborations foster a robust network of local advocates and resources, essential for sustainable development. Moreover, these partnerships instill a sense of ownership and empowerment among community members, vital for the long-term success of philanthropic efforts.

Community engagement is one of the ways nonprofit board members can add real value and advance your mission. Research has proven this! A great board can really leverage your community engagement. Take advantage of that network and be sure to assess a person's network and willingness to engage outside your nonprofit before bringing them on your board.

You can also invest in financial mechanisms that lead to sustainability, such as an endowment, revolving loan fund, or mission-related investment. When you look at sustainability, consider mission, financial, and client sustainability. Different kinds of sustainability may require different types of investments.

Private foundations have a vital role to play in fostering social innovation. They are in a unique position to fund “higher risk ventures” – that is to say, new initiatives, new programs, new structures – as they do not have the same constraints that come with government funding or corporate funding. By taking a chance on funding programs and structures that are “unfundable” by other standards (too small, too young, too “unproven”) but that have a promising idea, solid staff and an interesting idea. Furthermore, by sharing the results with other sector actors - regardless of whether it’s a failure or a success - can lead the way to a finding a new and better solution.

INNovation must be a top ingredient in this effort. Philanthropy is ever-expanding and needs innovative thinkers to help navigate the routes to helping the right people achieve the right results. The day of the gatekeepers being able to call all the shots is ending. From programs like Shark Tank and AGT, etc., innovators are emerging and the philanthropic leaders who boast in innovative ideas are coming on the scenes. It’s a day for philanthropy to not wait for the status quo to continue be the guiding light. Start this movement with giving your talents and time, set aside some resources, get some innovative partners and start making moves now. Before long you will wear the badge of a Philanthropist.

It is so important for board members to understand this! Help create experiences for your board members so they can learn and be motivated by the innovative ways others are approaching challenges. Create a separate fund for taking advantage of out-of-the-box opportunities - money everyone understands is for "risking" for the sake of better mission outcomes.

Reward calculated risk taking. Tolerate a certain amount of failure. We learn far more from our mistakes than from our victories. To make sure that learning occurs, demand that two types of evaluation occur: processes and outcomes You want you can accurately identify where any breakdowns occurred as well as measure whether change occurred. Demand robust evaluation be part of any initiative you support.

Dar a conocer las voces de las causas o personas beneficiarias hablando en positivo. Que sea un mensaje que inspire y dé esperanza en lugar de provocar lástima o angustia. ?Quiénes son estas personas? ?Cuáles son sus nombres? ?Cuáles son sus sue?os? ?Cuál es su historia? ?Cómo han superado sus adversidades? ?Cómo el programa u organización ha contribuido a fortalecer sus capacidades o su calidad de vida? Partir siempre de los y las beneficiarias como personas con agencia personal y habilidades.

Fighting social injustice and working for change can’t only be done in the background. As funders we need to ensure those voices are heard, whether it is funding lobbying actions of civil rights groups, ensuring that smaller organizations have access to press opportunities by funding partnerships or opening up our own networks, or simply funding communications positions within the charities supported. Foundations can also communicate about who they are funding, providing charities with a visibility that their own structure may not be able to generate on their own.

Collaboration brings a diverse set of perspectives, broadens your resources, and increases your impact - it is the key to success!

Remember to collaborate with those you serve beyond providing them services. Their participation will determine how fast you can scale, what practices will be successful, and create a community front against the issues they want to address.

The world doesn’t operate in a vacuum, and neither should foundations or charities. As a funder, there are many ways of encouraging and enabling collaboration: including collaboration facilitation your as part of your funding strategy. This can be as simple as providing fully funded seminars or retreats among charities and other social impact structures you support so they can share their experiences, learnings and perhaps even allow them to find ways to collaborate on future program delivery. It can also be co-funding, informally with a like-minded partner or more formally by participating in a pooled fund, or simply sharing your due diligence information with other foundations.

Collaboration rather than competition is crucial for true charitable accomplishments. Far too many philanthropists support non profits with leadership that work to promote and retain their leadership positions rather than advancing the overall cause. We must create a culture of cooperation — and reward those who truly focus on working with other groups and appreciating other perspectives.

Consider what you can do to create the next generation of philanthropists. Encourage schools, teachers and parents to learn how to give while they live.

En las comunicaciones usar una narrativa en la que el interlocutor (en este caso posibles voluntarios o donantes) son los héroes; y no la propia organización ni los recursos. Poner al interlocutor o target en el rol de "solucionador" funciona mejor porque el mensaje los hace partícipes de la historia de cambio, en lugar e ser solamente espectadores o aduladores.