Thread by @wdynarski

#SundayMorning Working on a piece on practical suggestions for philanthropic professionals on how to shift power through everyday grant-making and monitoring practices. This thread will be a list of resources for anyone who wants to address this topic in their work. #philanthropy

Let's start with this late 2018 piece on why philanthropy is not enough and why it potentially broadens the social divide it's supposedly trying to solve. An important article for any of us who chose to be part of this problematic system.
news.stanford.edu/2018/12/03/the…

Continuing on what 2019 was for the sector - a short piece on @VillanuevaEdgar's "Decolonizing Wealth", a book that kickstarted a public conversation that we all knew was bound make it outside of our institutions one day.
ikriegassoc.com/single-post/20…

A large part of it is the realization that we are in a moment where things may turn against the whole concept itself, since private philanthropy is possible only due to the fact that private citizens are able to accumulate unimaginable wealth. From @wef weforum.org/agenda/2019/04…

And now we come to the concept of power, named by @InsidePhilanthr as the thorniest topic in the sector in 2019, with race being the runner up. In this report, Centre for Public Impact asks - is it time to challenge the sector's power. centreforpublicimpact.org/is-it-time-to-…

Thanks to this, we come to the issue of accountability named also in this @nytimes piece from 2017, before criticism of the sector was more outspoken. Still, it is a good article for context of later conversations and what's to come in 2020. nytimes.com/2017/04/14/you…

@spjoyaux's document "Philanthropy: Its Many Faces of Power" on 4 aspects of power is another insight into the sector that can prepare us for a conversation on where we are currently heading, and where we may be wrong. simonejoyaux.com/downloads/Phil…

And finally, we come to a set of difficult questions and concepts which, hopefully, will flourish into seeing more prominent changes in 2020, including changes that may very well shake the foundation of philanthropy in general. Here's @CEPData cep.org/philanthropys-…

@CEO_CalWellness in a 2018 article for the Stanford Social Innovation Review called for using power "for good, in thoughtful ways that challenge our privilege and align with the interests of the communities we want to support" ssir.org/articles/entry…

That same year @NCRP provided us with suggestion on how to re-imagine power structures in our work since as such they stem from existing systemic inequities. ://www.ncrp.org/2018/05/re-imagining-philanthropys-power-structure-to-address-inequities.html

In another piece, @lisa_rang presents us with tips on sharing power from a webinar hosted by @NCRP and @LGBTfunders. Please also check out "Power Moves", NCRP's self-assessment guide for grant-makers ncrp.org/2018/09/philan…

Another great tool is @GrantCraft's report on existing practices of shifting power through community philanthropy. grantcraft.org/wp-content/upl…

And as a note - words like "changing", "shifting" and "sharing" have also been seen as problematic as these do not support a broader systemic change, which is why the concept of "transforming power" has been also embraced by some.

Coming back to @InsidePhilanthr's addition to these conversations, a few months ago, Tate Williams said it clearly - we need to judge the sector for how well it shifts power. Being aware of one's position isn't enough, it's time for action. insidephilanthropy.com/home/2019/9/6/…