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2021 Predictions for Philanthropy & Civil Society

Giving Thought

Release Date: 12/22/2020

Next Gen Philanthropy, with Sharna Goldseker & Michael Moody show art Next Gen Philanthropy, with Sharna Goldseker & Michael Moody

Giving Thought

In this episode we talk to Sharna Goldseker and Michael Moody about their book Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors are Revolutionizing Giving, which is now available in an updated and expanded 2nd edition

info_outline Philanthropy, Domestic Violence & Partnering with the Public Sector, with Stelio Stefanou show art Philanthropy, Domestic Violence & Partnering with the Public Sector, with Stelio Stefanou

Giving Thought

In this episode we talk to Stelio Stefanou OBE, philanthropist and Founder of the For Baby’s Sake Trust (FBST) - a charity which focuses on working with parents to address the impact of domestic violence on the early years development of children.

info_outline Modern Grantmaking, with Gemma Bull & Tom Steinberg show art Modern Grantmaking, with Gemma Bull & Tom Steinberg

Giving Thought

In this episode Rhod sat down with Gemma Bull and Tom Steinberg, authors of new book "Modern Grantmaking: A Guide for Funders Who Believe Better is Possible"

info_outline Philanthropy, Racial Justice & Funding Grassroots Organizing, with Lori Bezahler show art Philanthropy, Racial Justice & Funding Grassroots Organizing, with Lori Bezahler

Giving Thought

In this episode we're joined by Lori Bezhaler, President of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, to discuss the role of philanthropy in supporting racial justice and funding grassroots organizing or social movements.

info_outline Poverty, Participation & The Pandemic, with Jo Kerr & Sonya Ruparel show art Poverty, Participation & The Pandemic, with Jo Kerr & Sonya Ruparel

Giving Thought

In this episode we talk to Jo Kerr and Sonya Ruparel, from UK charity Turn2Us, about poverty, participation and the impact of the pandemic.

info_outline Participatory grantmaking, with Meg Massey & Hannah Paterson show art Participatory grantmaking, with Meg Massey & Hannah Paterson

Giving Thought

In this episode we talk participatory approaches in philanthropy and social investment, with Meg Massey, co-author of “Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good by Giving Up Control” and Hannah Paterson, Senior Portfolio Manager at the National Lottery Community Fund.

info_outline Silicon Valley, Billionaires & Philanthropy, with Teddy Schleifer show art Silicon Valley, Billionaires & Philanthropy, with Teddy Schleifer

Giving Thought

On this episode we talk to Teddy Schleifer, Senior Reporter, Money & Influence at Recode (part of the Vox Media group), about billionaires, Silicon Valley and philanthropy.

info_outline Philanthropy in Brazil during the pandemic, with Denis Mizne show art Philanthropy in Brazil during the pandemic, with Denis Mizne

Giving Thought

In this episode we talk to Denis Mizne, CEO of Lemann Foundation - Brazil’s largest educational funder – about philanthropy in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Lemann Foundation’s pivot to supporting vaccine trials in the country

info_outline Why Civil Society Matters More Than Ever, with Andy Haldane (and Neil Heslop) show art Why Civil Society Matters More Than Ever, with Andy Haldane (and Neil Heslop)

Giving Thought

In this episode we talk to Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England about his long-standing interest in civil society, why he thinks it is so important yet undervalued, and what sort of challenges and opportunities the coming years may bring. We also have some analysis and additional insight from CAF CEO Neil Heslop.

info_outline Technology, Philanthropy & Civil Society, with Nanjira Sambuli show art Technology, Philanthropy & Civil Society, with Nanjira Sambuli

Giving Thought

In this episode we talk to Nanjira Sambuli about technology, philanthropy and civil society. Nanjira is a researcher, policy analyst and advocacy strategist based in Nairobi, Kenya and we had a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion about the intersection of tech and civil society.

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In this episode, at the end of a tumultuous and unpredictable year, we attempt (wisely or not!) to give some predictions for what 2021 might bring...

 

  1. ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
  • Impact of Pandemic & Brexit: more demand, charity finances hit, less giving?
  • Charity closures/mergers?
  • Reimagining resilience?

 

  1. Political Division
  • Ongoing division
  • Ongoing politicisation of charity/culture wars
  • Closing space for civil society
  • Foreign funding restrictions

 

  1. Nationalism/Globalism/Localism
  • Will the pandemic make us think for locally, nationally or globally?
  • Will we see more moves towards devolution?
  • Philanthrolocalism

 

  1. The Post-Pandemic workplace
  • How will changes made through necessity during the pandemic affecting the charity workplace longer term?
  • Will we see more orgs thinking through the optimum balance offline and online for their work as we become more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of both (e.g. efficiency and ability to reach wider geographic area vs value of offline serendipity, human connection)
  • Will there continue to be more adoption of remote/mixed working? Will we see orgs change how they think about the purpose of the office? Will this begin a geographic rebalancing of the charity sector workforce?



  1. The Expanding landscape for doing good
  • Further expansion of space for “doing good” as we see more networked movements, informal P2P giving, mutual aid groups, corporates with purpose etc.
  • What is the USP of charities in this context?
  • Rebalancing of corporate/charity relationships as companies lay claim to purpose?
  • Continuing rise of networked movements
  • Continuing interest in Mutual Aid?
  • The participation premium- what can charities learn?

 

  1. Cross cutting issues
  • Will the focus on racial justice/equality decline across wider society as we move further away from this year’s momentum around BLM?
  • Can civil society take a lead in maintaining that momentum?
  • Will we see the focus on climate renewed?
  • Will these issues increasingly be seen not as “cause areas”, but as cross-cutting concerns that all CSOs need to take into account?
  • What does this mean in practice- e.g. re investment approaches, leadership in civil society, composition of the non-profit workforce etc?

 

  1. Post-pandemic Philanthropic funding trends
  • Unrestricted/core cost/trust based grantmaking. Will the trend continue?
  • More collaboration
  • Push for centralisation
  • Continuing pushback on impact measurement
  • More participatory approaches
  • New areas of funding focus:
  • social movements
  • infrastructure
  • digital
  • foresight
  • Journalism 

 

  1. Philanthropy Under Fire
  • Ongoing critiques:
  • Tainted donations (expect more examples)
  • Anti-democratic nature of big philanthropy
  • Philanthropy part of the problem re inequality 
  • New critiques: Pace, perpetuity (e.g. US DAF legislation)
  • Philanthropy & conspiracy theories

 

  1. Mass Giving
  • What is happening to giving? Long term decline or not? Giving pulled forward in response to the pandemic, or increased overall?
  • Will we see more big philanthropy focussed on encouraging mass giving?

 

  1. Disintermediation & Platform Philanthropy
  • Acceleration of existing growth of online giving due to pandemic will put more emphasis on platforms, leading to:
    • more focus on responsibilities of those platforms (Neutrality of platforms/advisers under greater scrutiny
  • Further moving away from donors giving to orgs towards P2P giving/crowdfunding 
  • Use of payment apps (Venmo/CashApp) to give direct to individuals
  • More commercial platforms offering giving functionality

 

  1. Awareness of Platform dependency Risks
  • CSOs will become more aware that platforms are not digital public space
  • Examples of platform dependency risks:
  • Terms of Service changes
  • Censorship

 

  1. Engagement of civil society in tech issues
  • Will the enforced pivot to digital during the pandemic lead to wider awareness of, and engagement in, technology issues?
  • Growing interest in civil society alternatives to commercial digital infrastructure?
  • Continuing pushback on tech ethics framing?

 

  1. AI trends
  • Further development of giving via conversational AI interfaces (and growing awareness of opportunities & challenges)?
  • More examples of use of AI for process automation, e.g. in grantmaking?

 

  1. Immersive Tech
  • More supporter led fundraising using short-form video content (TikTok-style)?
  • VAR becomes more popular; more examples of it being used for fundraising?
  • Further forays into gaming and E-sports for fundraising?

 

  1. Cryptocurrency & blockchain
  • Renewal of interest in crypto-philanthropy?
  • More examples of practical/ ethical challenges (e.g. anonymous donations from problematic sources, volatility of crypto-assets).

 

  1. Cybersecurity & RegTech challenges
  • Ransomware/cyber attacks on charities increase (linked to increase in remote working?)

 

 

 

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