GOOD READ: On the Brink of New Promise
On the Brink of New Promise: The Future of U.S. Community Foundations
Lucy Bernholz, Katherine Fulton, and Gabriel Kasper
This reading offers a detailed exploration of the predicted growth patterns within community philanthropy. By exploring societal, corporate, and government influences on the future development of philanthropy, this reading brings to the forefront the challenges and advantages facing US based community foundations.
As the history of philanthropy in the US has demonstrated, community based philanthropy has developed as a response to the constantly evolving community that it serves. Major factors, including economics, demographics, regulatory structures, and social attitudes guided the progress of philanthropy in the earlier part of the twentieth century.
With so many other instruments of community philanthropy, such as identity-based focused funds, giving circles, healthcare conversion foundations, and United Way chapters, to name only a few, community foundations must begin to strategize and plan for their new and changing role in philanthropy.
This reading offered that over the next two decades, two cycles of adaptation and reformation for community philanthropy are purported to occur. In this new era of community philanthropy, community foundations must respond to economic pressures, demographic changes, and changing expectations for regulation and accountability.
One of the major concepts highlighted in the reading was that other tools of giving will impact the donor-related work of community foundations. With the advent of software that better connects donor interests with community causes, the donor services side of foundation work will be drastically diminished. With this in mind, community foundations must plan for the way in which they will continue providing value-added services to the community.
In addition, deregulation of once government operated industry and services has led to the need for community foundations to widen the variety of services provided. As community foundations make the shift from managing financial assets to providing long-term community leadership, the idea of programmatic initiatives and funding collaboratives come to mind.
In becoming “social change agents,” community foundations can expand the outline of their roles to include convening the community, disbursing information, conducting research, and linking local leadership.