Giving Compass' Take:

• Grantbook is a technology company offering guidance on how to reduce organizational heartache and promote flow in philanthropy. 

• The author mentions that foundations set unachievable goals, making it more difficult to achieve a "state of flow" in philanthropy. What are strategies for individual donors to employ to achieve "flow" in philanthropy?

• Here are four steps to maximize the impact of your philanthropy. 

Grantbook works in the world of technology and as a result, we are often asked to focus on the inert and inanimate. Can a system produce a specific report? Can a system have invite-only applications? Can a system have audit trails by field?

‍Though it manifests in many different ways, at its core, organizational heartache occurs when the why (your purpose) and the way (your methods to get you there) are not aligned, creating frustration and burnout.

Flow is that perfect state between boredom and frustration where we find ourselves practicing our craft joyfully.
In 2018, Grantbook saw foundations prioritizing three key areas of their digital strategies. Instead of focusing on the more traditional benefits of technology like efficiency and permissions control, we saw more and more clients pursuing technology to elevate and embody their mission: gathering more data (“data informed”), trying fresh ways of granting (“enabling innovation”), and being more open to Grantee needs (“external stakeholder oriented”).

Why do we focus so heavily on data, efficiency, and results — frameworks from more commercial spaces like product companies and innovation firms — to demonstrate legitimacy, progress and value? This constant looking to sectors with very different goals and drivers, can result in high anxiety and constant second-guessing. We are a clearly a sector in need of new, more fitting, tropes and paradigms.

To get to a Flow state, unimpeded by physical and emotional distractions, most people need their values (e.g. impact, social good, etc.) and achievable goals to guide them. From the many interviews I have conducted, the professionalization of philanthropy introduces unachievable goals to so many foundations, making reaching Flow more and more difficult.

To break this cycle, we need to examine our insecurities. Rather than looking at solutions from other sectors, we should ask ourselves: what are the drivers, values and goals that feel authentic and unique to philanthropy?

Read the full article about flow in philanthropy by James Law at Medium