A One-Legged Stool Doesn’t Stand: Why Strategy Needs Operations and Culture
đź“· credit:Â Pexels Here’s a pattern most of us in philanthropy know well: something isn’t working, so you hire a consultant, run a planning process, and six months later you have a document (a strategic plan, a refreshed framework, whatever the latest vernacular is). And then not much changes. The same tensions resurface, the same decisions […]
Does progressive philanthropy have the skills to fight fascism (and win)?
Left-of-center philanthropy’s ongoing struggle to adequately respond to rising authoritarianism is often framed as resulting from a combination of strategic missteps, resource misallocation, and misdirected (or missing) political will. There’s been some but less analysis that unpacks those struggles in terms of skills or competencies. This blog pulls on that thread, exploring how decades of […]
What We Can Win in 2026: A Path Toward Democratic Renewal
đź“· credit: Pexels The 2024 election left many of us asking hard questions about the future of American democracy – and our role in it. How did we get it so wrong? Why did we lose despite record-setting investments in voter mobilization efforts? What will it take for the Left to rebuild and reinvigorate its base? […]
Organizing for Repair and Redistribution: Interview with Morgan Curtis
đź“· credit: used by permission of Morgan Curtis The extractive legacies of capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy cast a shadow on the family lineages of many wealth inheritors, who are left to grapple with and repair present-day harms. These histories have implications for basic psycho-social human needs, like belonging and identity. That is why we […]
Learning Club: Unlocking Statistics for Economic Justice
đź“· credit:Â Pexels Our monthly Learning Club sessions are invitations for staff and affiliates to gather, deepen our shared understanding of a topic, spark new ideas, and build alignment. Given the complexity of our work, we use this regular internal learning as an opportunity to experiment and shake up our thinking. We use numbers as tools […]
Showing Up Authentically in Advising, Exploring Where Values Lead Us
đź“· credit:Â Pexels Back in November, I had the opportunity to speak to students in the Masters in Philanthropic Studies program at the Centre for Philanthropy within the University of Kent. The group was in the middle of Ethics Week during their Advising Donors course, reflecting on the question of neutrality in philanthropic advising. For instance, […]
Learning Club: Addressing Frustration Honestly to Build Trust
đź“· credit:Â Pexels Our monthly Learning Club sessions are invitations for staff and affiliates to gather, deepen our shared understanding of a topic, spark new ideas, and build alignment. Given the complexity of our work, we use this regular internal learning as an opportunity to experiment and shake up our thinking. We based our January Learning […]
Announcing Dr. Samir K. Doshi as CEO of the Hopper-Dean Foundation
The Hopper-Dean Foundation is excited to welcome Dr. Samir K. Doshi as their inaugural Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Samir brings an impressive background and a strong alignment with the Foundation’s commitments to advancing human rights, social justice, and ecological justice. Since its founding in 2011, the Hopper-Dean family has deployed over $150 million in philanthropic […]
How to Give Better in 2026: Some Ideas to Kick the Year Off Well
Beyond considering the specific issues or causes you are giving to, have you paused to ask how to be more effective and fulfilled as a donor this year? A few weeks ago, a friend asked on a listserv about how others were approaching their giving in the new year. They shared two great ideas: they’re […]
Great New Collection Offers Powerfully Authentic Donor Organizing Stories
Free the People to Free the Money to Free the People is a gift to those involved in donor organizing and advising. Reading this new book reminded me how easily we forget how opaque this work can be to anyone outside of progressive philanthropy (or even many inside). This book offers a warm invitation to […]