In American culture, we tend to prize individual leadership, as illustrated by these examples: the self-made man, the hopes we put in one candidate to solve our problems, the entrepreneur with a new technology or solution, and the non-profit that comes into a community with an innovative project. In reality, any person who comes up with… Read more
Tag: Philanthropy
To Be the Generation that Changes the Patterns
The streets and airwaves are full of frustration and grief at the entrenched patterns of injustice and oppression that harm Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. I want to add my voice to the many who are galvanized to be part of the generation that changes the patterns. This is a moment to take in… Read more
Who Decides?
In January, Nevada became the first state in the US to have women in the majority in the state legislature. This article from The Washington Post highlights how issues and bills are being debated that would “not have seen the light of day” in previous sessions: “Bills prioritizing women’s health and safety have soared to… Read more
Mending the Community Cup
For years in conversations in organizations, within advocacy groups, and social change initiatives, I have heard variations of these themes: “We know we have to move beyond top-down approaches – how do we get more bottom up input and ideas?” “How do we get more diverse voices to the table? We need the input of… Read more
Funders Role in Catalyzing Collaboration in Networks (or Undermining It)
Funders inherently have significant power in a system. The way that they use their funding and positional authority can have huge impact on whether a network works effectively. At the Northern New England Networks community of practice gathering I attended this week, a group of network leaders, funders, and consultants reflected on the question: In… Read more