Lucy Bernholz identifies some of the key tensions facing philanthropy in her Philanthropy 2173 blog. She suggests that each is formed and informed by a ferociously complex environment, and framed by the relative position of the person or organization observing them. Each has obvious relevance to arts and culture organizations. Says Lucy:
- Technological advances are pushing to make data cheap. Commercial and business model priorities (mostly) want to make data expensive.
- Philanthropy has tremendous freedom in what it funds and how it operates, yet most foundations and funders build remarkably similar looking organizations regardless of mission or reach…
- Transparency is important and there are many efforts underway to make philanthropic institutions more “see through.” Increased transparency may also make people less willing to take risks, speak out against the majority, or “follow their gut.”
- Social goods have typically been seen as the purview of nonprofit organizations and public agencies. Now, more and more enterprises are producing social goods as well as financial returns.
LIke most tensions, the above cannot be resolved. Rather, our best bet is to acknowledge them as tensions, and to find the space relevant to our own goals and organizations that balances them in productive ways. And, of course, that balance will evolve over time.
Worth a reading and a thinking.
