About PTI

The Philanthropy Transformation Initiative (PTI), conceptualised and hosted by WINGS, is a collective effort by philanthropy networks, advisories, support organisations, academic centres, and funders from around the world to challenge our field to transform ourselves, our practices and our institutions and build a movement to address existential global challenges. It is a distillation of collective insights and global experiences that brings together our diverse community’s collective wisdom. It reflects and builds on a great number of debates, reports, guides, tools, and practices that our members and partners have developed in their respective spheres of influence.

It is a product of a participatory and collaborative approach which included:

  • Desk research to identify and understand the work currently underway in the sector on the transformation agenda.
  • Insights and feedback from a diverse advisory group that guided and challenged our thinking on the transformation agenda.
  • Feedback from the WINGS network and community through individual discussions and online meetings.

The initiative includes the Philanthropy Transformation Initiative Report, 10 principles to guide philanthropic institutions on the transformation journey, inspiring case studies from around the world that tell stories of transformation and a list of resources to draw on. We invite you to share your stories and resources with us here.

Transforming ourselves to transform the world

The climate emergency and mass biodiversity destruction, the exponential and unchecked acceleration of technological disruptions such as artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnologies, the fertile terrain for global pandemics, and geopolitical instability and nuclear threat, are all manifestations of what is now increasingly understood as a global polycrisis. This polycrisis is set to inflict ever-growing shocks to our societies, our lives and the lives that come after us - and is rooted in unsustainable and unequal economic and governance models, locally and globally.

As proponents of philanthropy and the love of humanity, we must act. Given the scale, complexity and urgency of the global situation, incremental change is no longer an option. Remaining too narrowly focused on our historical roles will not allow us to see how we can make the necessary difference in today’s world. The time is now for our field to step up and truly commit to a transformational role in society and fully leverage our unique potential. All actors can involve themselves regardless of size, geography and focus. There are infinite ways to unlock our power to create more just, sustainable, equitable, healthy and happy societies.

Our aim is to make our collective intelligence accessible and consolidate it into one global framework, creating a shared common language that will inform and influence the norms that shape the field globally for years to come. It centres on a set of 10 principles that will guide philanthropic institutions on the transformation journey and constantly updated case studies from around the world that tell stories of transformation to inspire us.

Ultimately, three key messages apply equally at an individual, organisational or field level: 1) be an enabler, 2) walk the talk, and 3) think about and create the future. The first is about the mindset shift we must embrace from seeing ourselves as ‘achievers’, who deliver ‘our’ impact against targets we set for ourselves, to ‘enablers’ dedicated to serving others - actors, partners, communities, movements, but also other sectors, markets, governments - contributing to change at a greater scale. The second key message highlights the incredible potential of leveraging philanthropy’s assets, beyond grants or operations, and bringing consistency across all dimensions of our work. It is about unifying behind values: leadership and culture, influence and connections, endowments and assets, programming, as well as the capacity to influence families and business practices in the way wealth is being created. The last message speaks to the necessity to keep the future of humanity in sight, alongside more immediate or visible needs, and reflect on the type of society we’re contributing to building. This involves thinking long-term and anticipating what could greatly affect our children’s and grandchildren’s future, and acting in line with that today.

Philanthropy has incredible power in its hands, not because of its financial weight which is marginal in the face of enormous challenges, but because of its independence, its ability to take risks and support what markets and governments will not. Beyond this, its flexibility, and its incredible potential to convene and be a bridge-builder between various players and enable others exerts a positive influence and should be used to foster deeper connections.

With the Philanthropy Transformation Initiative, we call on all philanthropic actors and those who support them to join the movement: commit, learn from each other, keep evolving in uncertain times, and grow together. We can build a global movement that is alive to change, that will adapt and evolve to ensure it is relevant and effective and address the key challenges and opportunities to transform ourselves and further transform the world. We invite you to join us and own this initiative. It will only be as strong as what you, and we, make of it.

 

 

The Philanthropy Transformation Initiative Report

Download the PTI Report

The Philanthropy Transformation Initiative report, produced with the support of the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy at Cambridge University, is one of the milestones of the Philanthropy Transformation Initiative.

It aims to outline the change we seek to create in the sector and to act as a focal point for action that can help make this change happen.

As one core pillar of the broader WINGS Philanthropy Transformation Initiative, this report:

  1. Discusses the need for philanthropy’s transformation
  2. Outlines 10 key principles to guide philanthropy’s transformation; explores what each of these principles means in detail, and offers an extended catalogue of resources, recommendations, and insights to support anyone who wants to participate in this journey
  3. Offers ways to become part of the philanthropy transformation movement.

The report serves as a crucial tool for philanthropy actors, particularly foundations and those that support them, looking to create transformative change within their organisation and beyond. The 10 key principles reflect ideas, best practices, and recommendations that have been actively circulating through the philanthropy space for years. The report brings them together and provides an actionable global framework for using them to drive change.

Download a copy of the Philanthropy Transformation Initiative Report here and share your feedback with us using #TransformPhilanthropy on Linkedin and Twitter or via email.

 

 

 

Join the movement

We can build a global movement that is alive to change, that will adapt and evolve to ensure it is relevant and effective and address the key challenges and opportunities to transform ourselves and further transform the world.

WINGS will work with different philanthropic actors and stakeholders, especially foundations and philanthropy support organisations (PSOs), to strengthen and connect the transformation efforts taking place across the sector into a movement. Here are some steps foundations and PSOs can take to embark upon their journey and drive the philanthropy transformation movement:

 

Foundations

As a foundation you can join the movement by sharing the principles, endorsing and practising them.

 

Some ways to actively participate include:

  1. Engaging in the transformation agenda: Join the discussions and debates on the transformation agenda. Use the framework to initiate discussions within your organisation, review and inform your strategy. Reflect on the principles and engage in discussions with your team, Board and partners.
  2. Contributing to ongoing collective learning: Share transformation stories, resources and examples that reflect the 10 principles in action. Remember that both successes and failures are essential elements of learning. Facilitate peer-learning dialogues and host opportunities to exchange best practices.
  3. Providing feedback to WINGS: We welcome any feedback on the principles and the philanthropy transformation movement more broadly. Constructive debate, dialogue, and criticism will help us improve the framework and challenge us to keep pushing our thinking.
  4. Championing the principles: Promote the principles as a collective agenda, and engage in open dialogue to explore challenges and opportunities related to their implementation. Invite and support other foundations, networks, PSOs, civil society actors and stakeholders in engaging in discussions and using the framework.

 

Philanthropy Support Organisations

 

PSOs can strengthen the global movement by using their unique position to influence the field in their national, thematic or regional contexts and build a transformation movement using some of the following steps:

 

  1. Staying connected with WINGS: Build joint narratives and provide insights from your context by sharing experiences, and providing feedback on the transformation framework and principles. We are conscious of the work on transformation currently underway in different contexts and regions, and we see this as an opportunity to connect different initiatives to ensure that they are feeding into and shaping a global agenda.
  2. Serving as a platform for collective learning and sharing: Use your platform to introduce the 10 PTI principles, shape the transformation agenda through a continuous exchange of ideas, resources and experiences and share stories of how they work with their members to promote transformation. Offer opportunities for peer-to-peer learning to explore new approaches and best practices, and tackle shared challenges.
  3. Championing the principles: Begin your transformation journey by using the principles as a framework. Become national or regional champions of the transformation movement by raising awareness, sharing information, promoting action and building alliances to expand the reach and influence of the philanthropy transformation movement.