Bring Out Your Biggest Brain

We’re in a confusing, chaotic and tumultuous moment here in the land of philanthropy (and everywhere else for that matter). Fundraising is perhaps harder right now than it has ever been.

It’s human nature to cling to the familiar when things get crazy. We look for tweaks and small adjustments to cope – a little more cowbell here, a little more email there. And oh let’s have a Pinterest while we’re at it.

Tweaking the playbook’s not going to work. We’re in big picture transition and it’s going to require big picture thinking to navigate.

How can we reach and engage new generations of donors? How do we draw the circle of philanthropy wide enough to embrace all Americans in an increasingly non-white nation? What will the practice of fundraising look like in 5 or 10 years? These are not questions that can be addressed by fussing with the mix of channels or the wording of the Johnson Box.