Delusional altruism rears its head when we are genuinely trying to make a difference in the issues and communities we care about — while paying absolutely no attention to how we get in our own way, nor to the operational inefficiency and waste that drains our foundations and our grantees of the human and financial capital necessary to accomplish our goals.

One of the most heinous forms of delusional altruism arises when funders simply don’t pay attention to what they’re doing and the impact that their policies and practices can have on those they most want to help.

Funders are just as guilty of delusional altruism as the nonprofits they fund. They often genuinely believe that they are doing the right thing by holding back on investment in themselves. How many professional development opportunities are deemed too time-consuming? How much thicker can a board book be? How many great opportunities are missed because a foundation’s grant cycle is completely rigid? How many funding strategies are overly complex?

Read the full article on delusional altruism by Kris Putnam-Walkerly at Putnam Consulting Group