“You don’t need to see the whole staircase; you just need to take the first step.”
– Martin Luther King –
The first step towards progress is often recognizing that the status quo isn’t working. In our last trust-based philanthropy newsletter, we asked who was with us in creating a culture of trust in our philanthropic community. I was thrilled to see so many “YES” responses, many with the added questions of “What can I do?” and “What’s the next step?”
I commend our fellow funders and friends at Interact for Health for taking the first step in creating a trusted culture in our community by committing to adopting trust-based philanthropy principles. They recognize that by centering relationships with grant partners, they can better realize their ultimate vision that people in the Greater Cincinnati region are healthy and thriving, regardless of who they are or where they live.
As a next step, I urge all funders and nonprofits to reexamine your organization’s structures using the tools below. Do your processes support or inhibit advancing your mission?
Building trust often takes time. By taking the first step to learn and commit to building a trust-based philanthropic culture, we can work toward creating a greater impact and benefit for our community.
Jill Miller
President & CEO, bi3
FOR FUNDERS
For funders, The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project suggests specific starting steps:
FOR NONPROFITS
For nonprofit leaders, The Trust-Based Philanthropy project suggests investing time and effort in building and maintaining strong relationships.
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