Author Archive:
Kris Putnam-Walkerly
Why philanthropists get overwhelmed and how to avoid shutting down
How To Find The Reset Button. A serious, but largely overlooked, problem in philanthropy is feeling overwhelmed. What is overwhelm? According to wellness writer Michelle Rees, ‘Overwhelm happens when the sheer volume of thoughts feelings, …
Does your philanthropy suffer from a scarcity mindset?
Take this short quiz to find out. It’s philanthropy’s Achilles heel. Foundation leaders, donors, professional athletes, corporate executives – all philanthropists – want to be good caretakers of their charitable wealth. They want their assets …
Trusting relationships advance philanthropy during times of crisis
Build trusting relationships before times get tough. Regardless of who you’re trying to help or who your potential collaborators are, we’re all human and we need to know that we can count on people to show up …
The next crisis: nonprofit leadership exodus
Nonprofit leaders are exhausted. Many were planning to leave even before 2020 happened. There were the white boomers trying to retire, the young leaders of colour trying to navigate cultures not ready to put them in …
Seven lessons donors can learn from MacKenzie Scott’s surprise $1.7 billion gift
On July 28, MacKenzie Scott surprised the world by announcing she had made $1.7 billion in donations to 116 nonprofit organisations. They were selected for the transformative work they were doing and to support leaders driving …
Rapid strategy development in times of crisis
Strategies guide philanthropists during tumultuous times Philanthropists are most effective when they have a strategy. And, formulating that strategy is easier than you think. With a strategy ready to guide decisions, givers save time and …
COVID-19 doesn’t need to slow you down
In the past week, I’ve heard a dozen examples of philanthropists who dramatically slowed or halted their work because of cancelled trips or the need to work remotely. Assuming loved ones and colleagues are not …
Three signs of a scarcity mindset in your philanthropy
As a donor, you want to change the world. You seek transformational change. You don’t want a band-aid. You want solutions. But something stands in your way. That thing between well-intentioned donors and transformational giving …
Small Donors, big thinking
How small investors can change the world ‘Small but mighty’ is a phrase we’ve seen applied time and again to describe something that seems too little to notice but that packs a wallop when it …
Three conditions for dramatic impact in philanthropy
Have the most impact possible in your charitable giving. If you want to achieve dramatic impact in philanthropy you need to know where you’re going, you need to get there, and you need to know …
