Giving Compass' Take:

• Kris Putnam-Walkerly at CEOWORLD magazine discusses five ways that philanthropists can turn adversity into opportunity and improve their success and effectiveness. 

• How does philanthropy serve a different role during this time? What are you doing to take advantage of your resources to support those in need during COVID-19?

• Here's an article on overcoming adversity with apprenticeship. 

Nobody ever chooses the hard road, but it has a way of finding us. And when it does, sometimes the only choice we have is in how we respond. Interestingly, we never know exactly what we’re capable of until we’re tested. So, especially for philanthropists and other change makers, during this new world of SARS-CoV-2, this is a good time to rise to the occasion and stretch to a new level of potential.

As a long-time philanthropy advisor, I help my clients recognize when their giving approach is a form of “Delusional Altruism.” Then, together, we work to change defeating patterns and dramatically increase their effectiveness. At a time of extreme uncertainty and challenges here are five focus areas that can dramatically improve your effectiveness today, and into the future:

  1. Clarify your strategy. Your mission should remain the same (it’s the reason your philanthropy exists) but your strategy can adjust year to year. If you don’t have a strategy, you can rapidly create one.
  2. Prioritize. Pick top priorities for the next four months. Focus everyone’s efforts on what’s most important. And make sure they block time in their calendar to work on them.
  3. Expand your capacity. Working remotely is increasingly cited as one of the most coveted work benefits. It’s also proving to be a necessity during the current crisis. If this is a challenge for your organization, lean into it. Put people at the center and keep your forward momentum.
  4. Stay the course. While it’s always important to respond to a crisis by offering an emergency grant, that doesn’t mean you need to switch your entire grantmaking strategy to infectious disease prevention.
  5. Become the philanthropist you want to be. In 2017, while I was advising the Community Foundation Sonoma County on revising its business model, wildfires ravaged their community. The foundation, and its visionary CEO Beth Brown, quickly adapted how they gave and how they operated. First, they established a fund specifically designed to address the community’s mid- to long-term recovery needs. When they recognized inequities in the recovery process, they added an equity lens to all their disaster recovery grantmaking. Before the business model was complete, they’d already stepped into their new community leadership role!

Read the full article about turning adversity into opportunity by Kris Putnam-Walkerly at CEOWORLD magazine.