Theories of leadership are often framed by the business world in terms of individuals. We need to revise them. In fact, do we need a theory at all?
2024 is a crucial year for democracy, with an estimated two billion of us set to go to the polls globally. For many voters it will be a chance to reflect on the kinds of leaders they want to respond to what is being called the polycrisis – climate and environmental crises, entrenched economic inequalities, and social injustices impacting people, society and our natural world.
This special feature explores philanthropic leadership and its response to the polycrisis in what feels like an important, even existential, moment. We explore broadly three aspects of leadership in philanthropy: one is leadership within individual philanthropic organisations, the second is leadership within the sector and the third, and most ambitious, is leadership in society, setting examples of creative responses to problems and patterning behaviour.
If we are to move to an abundant leadership model, which commits to supporting self-determination and liberation, we must find healthy and safe ways to consider failure, too.
We know that it is easy to use the term leadership, but how often do we spend time exploring it in depth and from multiple global perspectives? How often do we hear from those leading within their philanthropic grantmaking institutions, rather than the individual philanthropic donors? We hope this special feature provides readers with space to reflect individually and with others on what philanthropic leadership should strive to be now and in the future. We hope that it provides you with inspiring examples of thoughtful leadership practices within the philanthropic community, as well as examples of foundations and/or philanthropists displaying leadership on wider issues.
Part of a wider movement
Each of our contributors reminds us in different ways that the philanthropic institutions they work in, or lead, are part of a wider philanthropic movement or sector, with many points in common arising across all the submissions. They remind us in no uncertain terms that unless we consider philanthropic leadership more closely, the critiques we face of philanthropy being a plaything of the privileged, wealthy and elite, derived from ill-gotten gains, misused as a way of sanitising public profiles, and often misdirected to unworthy causes or used in ways that accept and rarely challenge the root causes of the issues, call into question the future legitimacy of the sector. They show us that by considering philanthropic leadership in more depth, we can really begin to understand how it has been possible for philanthropy, including philanthropic grantmaking institutions, to make lasting change in politics, society, the economy and the environment for individuals and communities globally, be that through introducing the Freedom of Information Act in the UK, to supporting the production of Covid-19 vaccines and the contraceptive pill.
Beyond theories of change
We approached a wide range of individuals and institutions for this special feature. We wanted the contributions we received to move us, to challenge us, to surprise us, and most importantly to inspire us. Whilst they all reminded us in different ways just how stark the challenges posed by the polycrisis are, they showed us that this is the time for us to revise traditional thinking and definitions of leadership. The most unexpected takeaway perhaps from them all was how they implored us to go beyond the theories of change which have guided many of us, and instead look at the ways in which we must act now in order to bring about the transformed society we so urgently need.
For so long, leadership research has been dominated by the business world. The perspective has often been western, corporate and male. Of course, some of this research has its place within philanthropic leadership, but we wanted to broaden our perspective, seeking out contributions that explore leadership in movements, feminist leadership principles, leadership within and beyond organisations and sectors, and dynamic leadership that responds to current and future issues and opportunities.
Each contribution offers us hope and confidence that better leadership can and does exist. We are told about the importance of networks and mindsets that are adaptable and expansive in their viewpoint. We are reminded that we should learn to understand the role of emotional intelligence, intuition and compassion in leadership.
The diversity of presence and participation in the philanthropy space today is heartening and demonstrates that there is wide scope for leadership to manifest in many different and complementary ways
Indeed, insights from the diverse contributions remind us that leadership is as much a personal journey as it is a collective one and that the invitation to say yes to the personal is also an investment in the transformation we want to see in our communities and in the sector. This invitation to the personal reminds us of the importance of making space for leaders on the front lines of change to show up as they are – not as moulds which fit into the structures created by philanthropy. As frontline activists struggle with family security, personal health and emotional well-being, and precarious livelihoods, it cannot be taken for granted that we can expect their detached presence in our sanitised spaces. These brave leaders are their communities, and their communities are where they are. How do we channel philanthropy to support the full spectrum of leadership capabilities that allow them to be who they are and where they come from?
When will it ‘rain philanthropy’?
The ideas of trust-based and relational leadership are elevated to new strata, as we consider the importance of supporting experimentation and creativity, and approaching the work we do and those we work with in ways that centre curiosity, humility and partnership. Linked to this is the need to reimagine accountability so that it is truly multi-directional. Providing an opportunity to say yes to reshaping an industry which has long been in contradiction with itself – where the consolidation of assets is equated with an institution’s identity and has to compete with a desire to redistribute wealth for greater social good. This redesign in identity calls for a revamped philosophy around philanthropy. An encounter at the 2022 Human Rights Funders Network meeting with a young Latina activist who was making her first foray into the philanthropy arena left an impression on Tendisai. The activist asked a very simple question: ‘If our challenges as communities are so existential then why is our response as philanthropy so weak? Where is the ‘make it rain philanthropy’ needed to meet the challenges of this time?’. What will it take for philanthropy to put everything on the line as an ‘all in’ response to everything we’re witnessing? Our contributors gave us both the hope that philanthropy’s response can be strong too.
We are asked in this special feature by our contributors if our leadership is ambitious enough. Sometimes that leads to a discussion about how to grow your work or profile, but here we are invited to consider the opposite: are we doing enough to optimise and make use of all our assets, including our social and political capital and our investments? Are we working towards a world where we will be required less, if at all? Are we centring credible and lived-experience voices, rather than our own? Are we creating new things when better things already exist?
Community organising is the real front line
We received some thought-provoking ruminations on failure. This can be uncomfortable – some of us are afforded more opportunities to fail without consequences than others. However, if we are to move to an abundant leadership model, which commits to supporting self-determination and liberation, we must find healthy and safe ways to consider failure, too. Sometimes this will require remembering to invest in what actually works – though it may not be shiny or new. The struggles our societies are facing will be fought and won through serious community organising. Community organising has always been the un-sexy/non-flashy strategy which is under-funded yet has yielded some of most significant historical gains for progressive movements. This hands-on work will need to be resourced consistently and substantively if even a fraction of the transformation we are seeking is to come to fruition.
If we can cede more space to younger philanthropic activists, we are optimistic that we will find inspiration from both actions carried out on the streets and those carried out in the boardrooms
The call for collaboration that we observed in the various contributions, while not new, was intriguing and stimulating in its reflections on the multiple dimensions it requires for collaboration to be effective. The nature of the polycrisis we face cries out for collaboration across movements, borders and institutions. If ever there was a time for siloed approaches to be discarded, this is that time. Femicide, climate change, illicit financial flows, authoritarianism, you name it – none of these are bound by borders, and they are indiscriminate in who and what they impact. Philanthropy and activism are being invited to work side-by-side in ways we have not seen before – prioritising wholeness and sustainability to ward off the potentially annihilatory effects of these systemic issues.
As we look at the philanthropy landscape it feels as though the level of collaboration needed in this time could offer some incredible opportunities to reverse patterns and lay down foundations for new realities as we align and consolidate efforts across borders and movements. It remains to be seen if philanthropy will adopt the audacious imagination of this new generation to navigate beyond the confines of the catastrophic to discover an alternative inspirational future. Will we capitalise on this moment for our anticipatory planning to assume a generative and optimistic tone as we collaborate beyond self-defined parameters?
So much of what we learned from the various articles related to the importance of not getting entrenched in a tick-box approach to leadership. The diversity of presence and participation in the philanthropy space today is heartening and demonstrates that there is wide scope for leadership to manifest in many different and complementary ways as we all work to bend the arc of the moral universe towards justice, in the immortal words of Martin Luther King. Indeed, the upcoming generation of activists and proponents of justice may just save us all. As some of our social movement contributors shared, they are teaching us ever so gently to unlearn the patterns which have entrenched power in a few corners. This generation is unbridled in its call and response to the inspiration and example we need to demonstrate to unlock a future that responds holistically to societal needs. If we can cede more space to younger philanthropic activists, we are optimistic that we will find inspiration from both actions carried out on the streets and those carried out in the boardrooms – with the unapologetic authenticity that they bring to the diverse spaces they occupy. Some of these newer actors, speaking to and from within philanthropy, are challenging us to shed the facades we hold onto and claim the fullness of our identity as philanthropic activists seeking to do right by future generations. We hope that this special feature will offer the philanthropic leaders of today and tomorrow as much as it has given us.
Sufina Ahmad is director at John Ellerman Foundation.
Email Sufina@ellerman.org.uk
Twitter @SufinaAhmad
Tendisai Chigwedere
Email tendisai@gmail.com
Twitter @TChig18
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