By Benjamin Bellegy, Executive Director, WINGS
As a philanthropist, have you ever felt like you were trying to put out a fire with spoonfuls of water? I often feel that way, and I assume that many of you do, too. At this point, you probably expect me to comfort you and highlight how small efforts will ultimately lead to greater change. But what if we acknowledge that is actually not true? What if all our efforts, energy and hopes may in fact be in vain?
I am a firm believer in the power of hope and love put into action, whether the outcomes are immediately tangible or not. Philosophically, our efforts to improve the world cannot and will never be vain. However, as a species, we may well find ourselves in a situation that could jeopardise the continuation of our journey on planet Earth. The Anthropocene, marked by the climate emergency and mass biodiversity destruction, the exponential and unchecked acceleration of technological disruptions such as artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnologies, the fertile terrain for global pandemics, and geopolitical instability and nuclear threat, are only the most visible manifestations of what is now increasingly understood as a global “polycrisis”. This polycrisis is set to inflict ever-growing shocks to our societies, our lives and the lives that come after us – and is rooted in unsustainable and unequal economic and governance models, locally and globally. A crisis that can, indeed, turn all philanthropic efforts around the world into spoons.
As proponents of philanthropy and the love of humanity, we must act. Given the scale, complexity and urgency of the global situation, incremental change is no longer an option. Remaining too narrowly focused on our historical roles will not allow us to see how we can make the necessary existential difference in today’s world. When the house is on fire, we need all hands on deck; we cannot simply continue doing what’s comfortable and easy.
The time is now for our field to step up and truly commit to a transformational role in society and fully leverage our unique potential. All actors can involve themselves regardless of size, geography and focus. There are infinite ways to unlock our power to create more just, sustainable, equitable, healthy and happy societies. This report illustrates some of these practices and their many levels, shapes and shades.
The Philanthropy Transformation Initiative Report is more than just another report on philanthropic effectiveness. It is, first and foremost, a collective and unified effort from philanthropy networks, advisories, support organisations, academic centres, and funders from around the world to challenge our own field to make a greater impact. This distillation of collective insights and global experiences brings together an incredible reservoir of our diverse community’s collective wisdom. It reflects and builds on a great number of debates, reports, guides, tools, and practices that our members and partners have developed in their respective spheres of influence.
Our aim is to make that intelligence accessible and consolidate it into one global framework, creating a shared common language that will inform and influence the norms that shape the field globally for years to come. It centres on a set of 10 principles that will guide philanthropic institutions on the transformation journey. From trust and humility in relationships to collaboration with other sectors, taking risks and being bold, leveraging endowments, using data, or embracing big issues like climate transversally, the broader WINGS Philanthropy Transformation Initiative (PTI) of which the report forms part, explores different levers and dimensions of the change that must happen in our field.
Ultimately, three key messages apply equally at an individual, organisational or field level:
- be an enabler
- walk the talk, and
- think about and create the future.
The first is about the mindset shift we must embrace from seeing ourselves as ‘achievers’, who deliver ‘our’ impact against targets we set for ourselves, to ‘enablers’ dedicated to serving others – actors, partners, communities, movements, but also other sectors, markets, governments – contributing to change at a greater scale. The second key message highlights the incredible potential of leveraging philanthropy’s assets, beyond grants or operations, and bringing consistency across all dimensions of our work. It is about unifying behind values: leadership and culture, influence and connections, endowments and assets, programming, as well as the capacity to influence families and business practices in the way wealth is being created. The last message speaks to the necessity to keep the future of humanity in sight, alongside more immediate or visible needs, and reflect on the type of society we’re contributing to building. This involves thinking long-term and anticipating what could greatly affect our children’s and grandchildren’s future, and acting in line with that today.
Philanthropy has incredible power in its hands, not because of its financial weight which will always remain marginal in the face of enormous challenges, but because of its independence, its ability to take risks and support what markets and governments will not. Beyond this, its flexibility, and its incredible potential to convene and be a bridge-builder between various players and enable others, exerts a positive influence and should be used to foster deeper connections.
With the Philanthropy Transformation Initiative, we call on all philanthropic actors and those who support them to join the movement: commit, learn from each other, keep evolving in uncertain times, and grow together. Together, we can build a global movement that is alive to change, will adapt and evolve to ensure it is relevant and effective, and address the key challenges and opportunities to transform ourselves and further transform the world. Some philanthropic actors may decide to embrace the whole framework and start improving across all dimensions, while others will pick only a few principles to start with.
My greatest hope is that we start the journey, put ourselves into motion immediately and grow a lively movement of transformation. For those who have already started to embrace elements of transformation, we call on you to share your lessons and wisdom, connect with others, draw them in and help build a global movement. Please visit the PTI website to read the report, explore the 10 principles and read and share case studies and resources.
This is just the start. Please join us and own this initiative – the journey outlined here is only as strong as what you, and we, make of it.
Benjamin is the Executive Director at WINGS. He has previously led international programmes in fields such as civil societies’ strengthening, sustainable development or post-disaster reconstruction. He has managed international programs at Fondation de France, worked for the International Cooperation Agency of Monaco and for several NGOs in Ethiopia, Tunisia and Canada.
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