March 16, 2020

Donors, how #OnTrend are you?

Wicked problems, big bets, Davos… Are you keeping up with the latest trends in philanthropy? Take this quiz to find out.

2 min read
1

Are you currently funding a multi-stakeholder collaborative with at least one foreign donor and one state government partner to solve a ‘wicked’ problem in a minimum of 10 districts, over the next five years?

a. But of course!

b. We’ve been stuck trying to agree on an accessible yet globally ambitious sounding name for the past 1.5 years.

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c. Nobody wanted to partner with us after we suggested including grassroots organisations in the collaborative.

2

Have you supported ‘knowledge creation’ in the form of lengthy research reports that superficially delve into topics already researched and published by at least 10 other credible institutions?

a. But of course!

b. We want to understand the continually evolving landscape; (plus, we haven’t really bothered to see what’s out there in the first place).

c. We write for IDR instead, because, 5-minute reads.

Related article: Preparing for the annual donor meeting

3

Have you engaged a US headquartered consulting company to carry out an intensive six-month strategy re-think exercise that will ultimately tell you what you already know?

a. But of course!

b. Look, like any Indian would do, we offered to pay them 30 percent of what they quoted. They refused, so instead we had a strategy retreat in Bali.

c. We just had an internal strategy meeting in our office like every other year.

India_in_the_New_Global_Reality_Economic_Summit_2011_nonprofit humour

Picture courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

4

Did you speak at the World Economic Forum about your pioneering partnership to end poverty in India’s aspirational districts (for the second time, because nothing has really happened since the first announcement)?

a. But of course!

b. We shared best practices at 10 conferences in the past 20 days and have invitations for another five, all in India. The University of Latvia is really interested in our model though *fingers crossed*.

c. No, because we don’t think our programme can single handedly achieve that. We’d like to wait and see how it turns out.

5

Are you funding AI for social change?

a. But of course!

b. It is one of our top focus areas for next year but we can’t seem to find enough nonprofit applicants to choose from.

c. Tech isn’t the answer to everything, you know?

Related article: Grant proposal answers if nonprofits were brutally honest: Part III

6

Were you recently photographed shaking hands with a cabinet minister of the central government where you discussed new and emerging trends in social impact?

a. But of course!

b. No, but we are on track to get invited to the next NITI Aayog seminar on the SDGs.

c. No, but we did connect with a district collector who is ready to now scale our nonprofit’s programme across the district.

 

Results:

Mostly As

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the Dalai Lama and 10 being Karan Johar), you are Ranveer Singh. While you bask in the fluorescent glare of your OTT grantmaking style, think about the power pose you want to strike for the Forbes cover page.

Mostly Bs

You’re a fence-sitter. This presents an unusual conundrum for you: your inability to wield social and political clout makes you unpopular with nonprofit partners, but your willingness to fly in the direction of the wind wins you points among your peers, and your overseas counterparts.

Mostly Cs

You are so not on trend. Please tell us how we can get funded by you.

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India Development Review

India Development Review (IDR) is India’s first independent online media platform for leaders in the development community. Our mission is to advance knowledge on social impact in India. We publish ideas, opinion, analysis, and lessons from real-world practice.

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