In the Hewlett Foundation’s Knowledge for Better Philanthropy strategy, we fund the creation and dissemination of high-quality knowledge regarding philanthropic practice for foundations. We recently released an evaluation of the strategy entitled, How Funders Seek and Use Knowledge to Influence Philanthropic Practice. In this study, 89% of funders report their peers (internal and external colleagues) as one of their primary sources for knowledge about the practice of philanthropy; that’s consistent with our earlier research. Peers aren’t the only source funders cite, but funders in our study highlighted the value of peers who understand foundations’ inner workings and serve as practical examples for making changes in practices. At the same time, funders acknowledged the risks and limitations of peers – in particular, that such a reliance on peers can limit diversity of perspectives and resources.

As I finish my eight-year term at the Hewlett Foundation, I’ve been reflecting on which conscious and intentional efforts have helped me to seek out diverse perspectives, meet people outside of my natural networks, and fund organizations with varied approaches to effective philanthropy. Our 2013 evaluation of the Knowledge strategy called for an effort to support more diverse voices and perspectives. True to that call to action, most of the organizations we’ve newly funded in this strategy are not ones I already knew. I learned about them by being open and intentional in meeting new people and spending time in diverse spaces. This includes providing support for the First Nations Development Institute, CHANGE Philanthropy, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, ProInspire, and Equity in the Center. We have also supported deeper internal and external diversity, equity, and inclusion work by the Stanford Social Innovation Review (the “This is What Racism Looks Like” and “Breaking Through Barriers to Racial Equity” series) and the Chronicle of Philanthropy (DEI source audit).

It’s clear that diversifying staff and boards of philanthropic institutions ensures that reliance on peers will represent a broader range of views and perspectives. For example, when I joined Hewlett in 2013, the staff was more than two-thirds white. Today, that figure is 49%. But these aren’t the only ways to intentionally include diverse perspectives. We have to systematically build this inclusion into our design and strategy development processes.

Read the full article about expanding the network by Lindsay Louie at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.