The Future of Philanthropy
A new model for philanthropy — one that is built on collaboration, partnership, and inclusion.
What I’m about to share is the product of everything I’ve learned after working in impact for 15+ years.
it’s also THE product of my great partnership with amy dornbusch, the founder of atlasdaughters.
As context, I have direct experience working within nonprofits and managing philanthropic communities — having led fundraising for fast-growing organizations, led organizations, and served on boards, and coached many nonprofit founders and philanthropists. However, what I really know very well is how interpersonal dynamics affect families and decision-making around capital deployment. What you’re going to read here is a pretty revolutionary new take on philanthropy that combines IQ and EQ — and it’s already getting some incredible results.
This new framework on philanthropy is a blend the experiences and expertise of both me and Amy Dornbusch, the founder of AtlasDaughters. It creates something unique and needed to garner breakthroughs in the world’s biggest challenges.
Amy and I prepared a webinar with the Family Office list on “Better Relationships and Bigger Impact: Women, Family, & Philanthropy” one month ago that goes into detail on this whole new framework on the future of philanthropy.
the need for something new
Fundraising at this high level is peer-to-peer so it’s imperative to include relationships and emotions alongside the more traditional research and reports. This is why the EQ of Wealth coaching rasied helped raise $100M in 2 days to combat climate change. What I’ve seen is that by developing strong soft skills, hard capital gets moved.
Amy runs her family foundation, serves on several boards, and also is a successful for-profit investor in her own right. She brings the first-hand experience working with a family office structure, and peer knowledge of moving significant capital within giving collectives. When the US pulled out of Kabul in August 2021, Amy, alongside Vital Voices and women around the world, raised $12M in a week to get 1,100 women out of Afghanistan, who were on the literal Taliban “kill list.”
Amy is smart.
She and I both knew that philanthropy needed something new.
The graphic is broken down into two different axis. The top section on the x-axis compares “traditional” approaches (what’s been done historically) with where the industry is going or the “Opportunities.” The vertical section on the y-axis, goes on a gradient on topics that cover relationships or “interpersonal” to items that are more tactical in “approach.”
trends by topic
Wealth EQ/IQ: Traditional philanthropy separates the assets (the IQ) from the dynamics or relationships within the family (EQ). The future philanthropy will integrate both.
Family View of Money, Philanthropists, “Next-Gen”: The main takeaway here is about multi-generational inclusion. Instead of the wealth-creator having full ownership around decisionmaking and vision. Philanthropy will continue to be used as a tool to bring families closer together and the definition of “philanthropist” will extend beyond the matriarch and/or patriarch figure and into younger generations, especially children.
Power Dynamics: We’re moving away from funders considering themselves “experts” to the experts being the people and communities the closest to the challenges. This is a tenet and trust-based philanthropy, whose principles are built into this framework.
Fundraising: Raising capital isn’t about finding money, it’s about finding your people. We’re continuing to move away from transactional approaches and doubling-down into fundraising as matchmaking with money, which leads to maximum collaboration and cooperation.
Ideal Investors, Decision Makers, Engagement: The theme with these sections is about funders going beyond the checkbook — they’re bringing their networks, their skills and their time to the work. Philanthropists are true teammates to organizations, institutions, peer funders, and family members to make sure every resource is being utilized to accelerate progress.
Decision-making and Transparency: We’re saying good-bye to closed door meetings, decisions, and an overall opaque process. Instead, decisions and grants will be open and flexible to the needs of the organization or institution. It’s not about control, it’s about coalitions.
ROI: My mentor Jennifer McCrea called old-school philanthropy of wanting your name on a building as “The Edifice Complex.” What’s next in philanthropy is moving away from optics, ego, and extra work, and continuing to head towards impact as a team.
Much of what is listed above has been the direction of philanthropy from the last decade, but this framework simply puts everything in one place. Please take it, use it, and make it your own.
I would love to hear what this new framework looks like in your world — please get in touch and let me know how it goes!
We all have to do our part.
