Using systems thinking, identify connections between philanthropy and other systems. Resources flows offer a starting point to understand the structure of philanthropy.
Gain insights into the origins of present-day philanthropy by getting curious about the purpose, values, beliefs, and power dynamics, behind past practices.
Understand the power of story & narrative in conveying ideas about causation, possibility, beliefs, and values -- which can be used intentionally to drive change.
Encounter three foundations who focus on strategies to address urgencies in the here and now. Read about their experiences with spending down, philanthropic reform, and mission-aligned investment.
Grapple with the challenge of influencing a complex system. Appreciate how experimentation, emergence, and creativity can serve better than subject expertise and rationality.
What are the moral obligations foundations have towards righting wrongs of the past? Learn about two foundations who have gone down the road of reparations.
Differentiate purpose from strategy and understand its power in organizations to imbue every structure, process, role, and communication with greater meaning.
We can use systems thinking to sense philanthropy's potential for social impact, as well as how it might be part of conditions that hold wicked social and environmental problems in place.
How do we divide resources justly? Explore the concept of "distributive justice" and other logics that can help us make decisions about how to allocate resources fairly.
Understand what it means to be working in the realm of complexity. Learn about collaborative inquiry, a process that can help us build alternative perspectives on systems that we are part of.
Perpetual endowments are well established within the philanthropic sector, some say as a source of stability across generations, some say as a means to hoard resources.
Tackle the questions around the ethical responsibilities of present generations to their own, past, and future generations. What is our role in repairing injustices of the past vs shaping the future?
Mental shortcuts lead to biased decision-making. 'Fast thinking' can help us make quick decisions, and it can lead to error in judgement, especially when it comes to moral decisions.
