#FP6 - The Final Countdown ⏱📗 & A New ROI For The Social Sector
Ideas & opportunities for future focused civic leaders...
Hi all,
That moment we have all been waiting for is nearly upon us! We are going to print on Future Philanthropy very soon. Final, final edits are due this week ahead of the second proofread. An Advanced Reader Copy has also gone out to a number of sector leaders and has been met with really positive reviews!
The book is confirmed for an official release date of September 27th. Be one of the first to receive a signed hardcover of the book - our pre-sale is now open and can be found over at futurephilanthropybook.com
I mentioned in the last newsletter that we will also include details of the new emerging leaders profiles that will be curated to complement the new book and the 14 leaders profiled. This will be announced next week in a special edition of the eNews to ensure it gets the focus it deserves. Watch this space! 👀
RG
What I’m Writing
The Return On Immersion - The ROI Needed For Charities & Their Virtual Narratives (9 min read)
Much of the nonprofit tech that is discussed in our sector revolves around software – state of the art platforms that help lift up our fundraising, new CRM plugins that automate & personalize our unique processes and other operational offerings that help us deliver our work more effectively and efficiently for both internal and external clients. What we haven’t really seen is robust discussions around hardware, and that just might be because there is no real metric for its effectiveness.
Vision Mapping & Strategic Phasing - A New Plan For Nonprofit Growth & Impact (7 min read)
In many cases, strategic plans stifle nonprofit innovation. It’s time to ‘phase’ in future focused mapping to promote more strategic thinking.
What I’m Reading
Bill and Melinda Gates: Philanthropy Caught In The Crosshairs of Society’s Obsession With Celebrity by Beth Breeze and Genevieve Shaker (4 min read)
Gossip and populist critique of philanthropy leads to a focus on donors’ lifestyles, personalities, relationships & motives at the expense of deeper engagement with the details of philanthropic acts and their impact on beneficiaries.
When big donors only hit the headlines because of private matters or cynicism about their charitable intent, it impedes public understanding of philanthropy, encourages skepticism, and can inhibit giving.
Fighting Falsehoods Must Be at the Center of All That Nonprofits and Foundations Do by Jen Soriano, Hermelinda Cortes and Joseph Phelan (5 min read)
Disinformation is misinformation that is intended to mislead. But whether intentional or not, falsehoods spread faster than the truth. So how can we stop them? For the nonprofit world, an effective strategy starts with large-scale philanthropic investment in local and national racial-justice organizations that understand best how disinformation spreads in their communities.
Specifically, these groups need resources to train community members in recognizing disinformation and replacing it with accurate and positive narratives that embrace themes of hope, belonging, and a vision for a better world. This requires partnering with organizations that track disinformation trends and narrative patterns and that can help them design targeted interventions. It also requires developing leaders who can become trusted and charismatic messengers skilled in fighting disinformation.
What I’m Sharing
Futurism Job! If you enjoy what I write about philanthropic futurism then do I have the job for you :) A unique opportunity with the Institute for the Future (IFTF), located in Palo Alto, CA is looking for a new Director for Philanthropy & Foresight. IFTF is committed to increasing its social impact by expanding the use of foresight and future thinking tools among philanthropic and civic sector organizations in order to help address the most complex challenges facing society. The IFTF is a 53-year-old nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to helping organizations and communities systematically think about the future and produce research, tools, and experiences that equip people with a foresight mindset and the capacity to envision the future and inspire strategic actions that lead to better, more equitable, and resilient futures. https://www.iftf.org/partner-with-iftf/jobs/director-philanthropy-and-foresight/
AI + Fundraising: An AI platform that I have worked with is looking to provide a free screening of 1000 prospects for an organization to trial a new wealth screening feature. If you are interested please reach out to me ryan@ryanginard.com. This is a terrific opportunity, so don’t miss out!
Survey: For 2 years, The Centre for Optimism has asked people “What makes you Optimistic?”
In this survey, folks are asked to share their sources of optimism to improve practices helping people increase optimism in themselves and others. The survey takes around 3 minutes https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Optimistic21L and you are welcome to share the survey with colleagues and friends - the results are also shared with all participants.
Call for Sessions/Speaking Opportunity: The Fundraising Institute Australia has tentatively locked in 23-25 February 2022 for its next Annual Conference. If you'd like to suggest a topic or nominate someone to speak, please email them at training@fia.org.au. or if you'd like to speak at the conference yourself download the Submission Planning Document here to find out how to complete your submission. Closing date is June 11th.
Shout-Out
Many congrats to my former colleague Megan Thomas who was recently elevated to President & CEO of Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties. Megan is bold, brave and innovative and a great example of next generation leadership. Check out the announcement here & follow her @MThomasSD
Thanks for the shout out, Ryan. We miss you over here - still driving dreams, data & daring on the daily!