Building in Trust – March 2024

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
– Maya Angelou

When you get down to it, funders and nonprofits want the same things:

• Quality schools and healthcare for all
• Social and emotional support
• An active local arts scene
• Clean air and green space
• Equitable access to housing, jobs, food and transportation

However, funders’ and nonprofits’ approaches and proposed solutions may differ.

So, how can we work better together? Create an open and trusting philanthropic community—a community where funders and grantees partner and build trust through shared power, transparency, mutual accountability, learning, and measurable impact.

When I joined bi3 in 2014, we did our best to function as a conventional grantmaker. We offered multi-year funding but had lengthy applications with long waiting periods, extensive reporting requirements, one-way accountability, reliance on quantitative metrics to prove the impact of individual grants, and a grantmaking mindset of enforcement, compliance, and reporting.

Today, we continue to grow as a trust-based philanthropist (TBP). We streamline applications and reporting and provide timely responses; practice mutual accountability; focus on big-picture learning to inform a broader understanding of impact; listen to those closest to the problems; and have adopted a grantmaking mindset of collaboration, learning and service. We find great JOY in offering support beyond the check by serving as a thought partner and connector.

As an ambassador of the trust-based philanthropy movement, I want to share more about the approach with our community and engage local funders and nonprofits in healthy conversation, with the goal of creating an open and trusting community. In the coming months, I will highlight principles, testimonials, and articles to deepen your understanding of TBP. We will pose questions and encourage you to send us your own, as we invite you to engage in the conversation.

We can do better and achieve greater impact together. We hope you will join us!