strategic philanthropy flight plan

When someone asks me why I always reinforce the importance of strategic philanthropy , I usually respond with another question commonly used when approaching the topic of planning: “Would you get on a plane without a flight plan?”

Philanthropists support causes they identify with and believe in for the transformation they want in the world. This is the destination of the trip, which can involve several areas: health, education, entrepreneurship, among many others.

It is precisely strategic philanthropy that provides the means to achieve the objective. Essential in this process, indicators and continuous monitoring of progress with transparent information enable course corrections and reinforce the confidence of donors and investors in the project.

The pandemic brought good examples of how indicators can support strategic philanthropy with information that reflects the moment we are experiencing.

The Donation Monitor , created by the Brazilian Association of Fundraisers (ABCR), allowed us to get a sense of the progress and variations in donation rates, which exceeded the total of R$7 billion and brought together more than 700 thousand donors.

The World Giving Index 2021 (WGI) survey, carried out by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), reinforces the wave of solidarity we experienced in Brazil (31% donated more in 2020 than in the last five years).

The data demonstrated the strength of the emerging emergency, but the awakening to the importance of observing social issues, represented by the letter S in the acronym ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), is amplified by changes in the market, which now demands that companies have purpose and socio-environmental behavior in accordance with best practices that are reflected not only locally, but promote new global guidelines.

There is a requirement that is also based on the financial system , which begins to impose a greater level of responsibility on organizations.

Another important actor in this process is the consumer market, with a new generation that re-signifies values, considering aspects that go beyond price issues at the time of purchase.

It is a transformation that occurs quickly. Because of this, we have already started to see a change that is reflected in third sector .

This renewal will have a positive and institutions that are aware of the movement will be able to benefit, aligning their work and projects with companies that have similar purposes.

One detail worth noting is that when we talk about evaluating results we should not limit ourselves to numbers, as the analysis is both quantitative and qualitative. We need to develop metrics for the Brazilian reality that prove the long-term impact.

With the indicators it is possible to outline solid strategies based on evidence to maximize every investment. This management benefits the community and complements the public good.

Strategic philanthropy makes institutions grow, which are strengthened through assertive decision- , credibility and breadth in promoting social benefits.

By Carola Matarazzo.

This article was originally published on the website of the newspaper O Povo – CE .