My Guiding Star for the Philanthropy Sector
As we close the chapter on 2024 and step into a new year, I find myself reflecting on what’s needed to move philanthropy forward. In a sector where we hold such immense responsibility, how do we ensure that the way we work truly aligns with the impact we want to create?
For 2025, I’ve set a guiding star - a set of resolutions to help us reimagine grantmaking. These aren’t just personal goals; they’re a call to action for the entire sector. Each resolution is deeply tied to the principles and practices we explore in our #FixTheFlow Fellowship, a programme designed to help grantmakers navigate this complex landscape, and lead with courage.
Here’s my roadmap for a more intentional, impactful year in philanthropy:
1. Redefine What It Means to Be a Grantmaker
Inspired by our #FixTheFlow session: Philanthropy 101
Philanthropy often feels stuck in its ways - focused on compliance, control, and outdated practices. In 2025, let’s commit to redefining what it means to be a “modern grantmaker.”
That means embracing equity, transparency, and humility as core values. It means prioritising relationships over transactions and impact over bureaucracy. And it means challenging the traditional structures that no longer serve us - or the communities we aim to support.
Let’s start with the basics but look at them with fresh eyes. Who are we accountable to? What kind of change do we want to enable? How can we shift power to those closest to the issues we’re addressing?
2. Embrace Complexity With Confidence
Inspired by our #FixTheFlow session: Theory of Change
If there’s one thing philanthropy has taught me, it’s that social change is never linear. It’s messy, interconnected, and rarely predictable.
In 2025, let’s commit to embracing this complexity rather than shying away from it. We can start by rethinking how we approach our theories of change. Instead of forcing impact into tidy, one-size-fits-all models, let’s explore frameworks that reflect the real-world ecosystems we’re working in.
This requires courage - and a willingness to admit what we don’t know. But by leaning into complexity, we can design funding strategies that are more adaptive, holistic, and impactful in the long run.
3. Find Courage in Uncertainty
Inspired by our #FixTheFlow session: Risk, Learning, and Bravery
Philanthropy has a risk problem. Too often, we prioritise safety over boldness, treating risk as something to be avoided rather than an opportunity to innovate.
But meaningful change requires bravery. It means funding the untested, supporting the unpopular, and accepting that failure is part of the process. In 2025, I want to challenge myself - and the sector - to build a healthier relationship with risk.
This isn’t about being reckless. It’s about being thoughtful, intentional, and willing to learn. Because if we’re too afraid to take risks, we’ll never create the kind of transformative change that’s so desperately needed.
4. Strengthen the Ecosystem
Inspired by our #FixTheFlow session: Strengthening the Ecosystem
Grantmaking doesn’t happen in isolation. Every decision we make ripples through the broader ecosystem of social impact, shaping not just individual grantees but entire fields and movements.
In 2025, let’s commit to being intentional about these ripple effects. How can we use our resources to build stronger infrastructure, foster collaboration, and support the long-term health of the ecosystem we’re part of?
This might mean funding beyond our usual scope - investing in things like capacity strengthening, advocacy, and social impact infrastructure. It might also mean stepping back and listening more to those who are already leading the way.
Whatever it looks like, strengthening the ecosystem should be at the heart of how we approach our work this year.
5. Leave With Integrity
Inspired by #FixTheFlow our session: Elegant Exits
In philanthropy, we spend a lot of time thinking about how to start funding relationships - but far less time considering how to end them. Yet, how we exit can have just as much impact as how we enter.
In 2025, let’s resolve to leave with integrity. That means crafting ethical, responsible exit strategies that don’t leave grantees in the dark. It means planning ahead, communicating transparently, and ensuring that the progress we’ve supported doesn’t unravel when we step away.
Done well, an exit can build trust, strengthen relationships, and set grantees up for long-term success. Done poorly, it can do just the opposite. Let’s commit to getting this right.
A Movement for Change
These resolutions aren’t just about improving the practice of grantmaking - they’re about reimagining its purpose. If we want philanthropy to be a force for real, transformative change, we need to let go of the old ways of working and embrace new ones.
This won’t be easy. But with the right tools, mindsets, and community, it’s possible. That’s what the #FixTheFlow Fellowship is all about - helping grantmakers navigate the complexities of their work, challenge the status quo, and lead with courage and intention.
As we step into 2025, I invite you to join me in setting a new guiding star for our sector. Together, we can build a philanthropy that’s not just effective, but truly transformative.
