“At the end of the day it's not about shiny impact reports”: Nine funders on what they learned in 2021 that will change their work forever

In 2021, big questions were asked of the people who mobilize capital for social purpose work.

Questions like: Whose money is this, really? How will you steward it responsibly? How will you move it to communities more quickly? Will you share some — or most, or all — of your power?

These questions changed the worlds of philanthropy and social finance in 2021, even if that just meant planting seeds that will produce fruit in the future. We asked nine changemakers in these sectors to reflect on one big lesson they learned this year, and how it will change the way they approach their work. 

Honesty and transparency are integral

“One big learning for me this year is around being open and honest with all entities, including my team and social purpose organizations, of how we operate as a funder to yield more efficient and effective funding, even through failures, complexity and unlearning. Another big question I asked myself in 2021 and will ask again in 2022 is: how can we leverage the estimated $92B of investible capital held by philanthropic foundations to yield more value for their missions and impact models?” – Aatif Baskanderi, CEO of the Northpine Foundation 

Kindness, gentleness, and compassion are key to the work

“I have the unique privilege of being able to work alongside community and within institutions; in my positions, I get to support young BIPOC change-makers doing good work for themselves and their communities. In 2021, I learned through practice and observation that we all need to be extra gentle and compassionate with one another as we journey through the pandemic together. As an Indigenous person, my teachings (particularly kindness) have always rooted my work. In 2022, I intend on making space for others to adopt the principles of gentle, compassionate, and radical kindness for themselves and each other.” – Krista Bissiallon, program manager at the Ontario Trillium Foundation 

Talk is cheap

“In 2021, we learned something that we have [in principle] always known — that Black feminist movements globally remain grossly under-resourced. We [at the Black Feminist Fund] have a dream of mobilizing $100 million over 10 years to go directly to Black feminist movements. Part of our call is a callout — and a call-in — to philanthropy to put their money where their mouths are. In the current landscape, folks talk about how important social justice is or funding Black women is, but the resources to accompany that work is nowhere near enough. In 2022, that means we will work harder to push for deeper shifts in philanthropy to move beyond resourcing what feels ‘comfortable’ to resourcing what feels ‘right’.” – Amina Doherty, co-founder of the Black Feminist Fund 

We don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done

“There have been a lot of learnings this year, but one sticks out to me — that it’s so easy to get caught in the trap of putting all these requirements that act as barriers to action or set irrelevant metrics based on what philanthropic spaces have diagnosed as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. At the end of the day it’s not about shiny impact reports, it is about uplifting and strengthening communities through relationship-building. Everyday we need to put our egos aside, be in constant consultation with the community, and meaningfully incorporate recommendations set out for us. We need to show up and radically support the people making an impact, especially youth and marginalized groups that experience the impacts of our decisions at a greater scale.” – Kat Cadungog, executive director of the Foundation for Environmental Stewardship

Gatekeeping has got to stop

“The main takeaway that I am bringing into 2022 and beyond is that democratizing resource and knowledge sharing is key to closing funding gaps and ensuring everyone has equitable access. I’ve witnessed a lot of knowledge gatekeeping in the social purpose sector which only serves to further divide those who are well-resourced from those who can truly benefit from collaboration and participatory program and resource development.” – Allison Gibson, program manager at Spring Activator 

Flexibility is the future 

“One big learning for us was how restrictive existing funding sources can be – whether that’s limiting funding to a specific program, or specific budget line items, or a very narrow set of deliverables. Our insight has been that in order for leaders and organizations to be able to act on emerging opportunities and adapt their strategies to rapidly changing contexts, they need more flexible funding. We want organizations to be innovative and reflective but we expect them to execute on a highly detailed preconceived plan – it just doesn’t add up. We will be looking at funding models that support agility while staying focused on a clearly defined shared goal.” – Vani Jain, executive director of Daymark Foundation 

Adaptability requires collaboration 

“It’s just to be more adaptable than ever before. I’ve always valued flexibility when working in community, because you really have to be able to pivot and respond to community need as best you can with the constraints of funding. You have to have multiple back-up plans in a pandemic world. You have to be thinking about all the possibilities. I believe the only way you can do that really well is through collaboration with diverse people. That’s something I’m thinking more deeply about. There’s this concept of inclusion, but when we’re thinking of inclusion, we’re working to fit people into a box that’s been created by white and colonial societies. But I’m thinking, how do we actually just create a new table? That’s the inspiration I’m getting [through my work with the Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund].” – Sarah Nelson, co-founder and advisor of the Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund  

Listen and learn intentionally

“In our sector there is always room to learn and grow, and it is important to reflect on where we need to focus our efforts. In 2021, our learning was guided by four key questions: Are we supporting communities and serving the sector and our partners in the best way possible? Are we putting enough emphasis on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility? Are we devoting enough efforts to advance reconciliation? In this time of climate emergency, are we meeting our collective responsibility to take care of our land for future generations? And the learning continues. With intentional listening, and by staying connected to people, communities and the land, my colleagues and I are working to improve our understanding of community needs, and challenging ourselves to more effectively address the inequities and inequalities in our society. As we move into 2022, my goal is to put resilience at the heart of our actions, and to be accountable as we seek to leverage our contributions to live up to our mission and vision.” – Lili-Anna Peresa, president and CEO of the McConnell Foundation 

Question resistance to change

“I’ve learned to always question when someone in the sector says something is difficult and complicated. The reality is that philanthropic organizations operate in a privileged space where so much is possible. I have tried to act, something that would have been impossible without my talented team, and a visionary board.” – Sadia Zaman, CEO of Inspirit Foundation 

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