One of the most gratifying aspects of the work we do at ONE HUNDRED is meeting leaders and influencers who are working to make a genuine difference in the world. At ONE HUNDRED, we have the great fortune of encountering their stories at scale every day, working with an extraordinary variety of organizations that are led by people who inspire and awe.

As a thought leader in the philanthropic arena, ONE HUNDRED and its specialized agency team Changing Our World, is constantly keeping an eye toward the new dynamics, trends, challenges and solutions in our sector. One of our responsibilities is to share the learnings we encounter daily with the hope that greater knowledge and collaboration increases effectiveness and impact. Our second edition of the Influencers in Philanthropy Report uncovered insights and perspectives from some of the leading figures in philanthropy today.

In the Influencers in Philanthropy 2019 report we spoke to and researched 100 leaders across the philanthropic landscape and examined the key trends, disruptions, challenges, and opportunities in the sector. In our first report, released in 2017, we identified key themes in the philanthropic field and how they generated innovation, impact and resource generation. In this second report, we spoke to some of the same leaders but also talked with new leaders who are the heads of the largest non-profits, leaders among the top private foundations, mega philanthropists, and corporate executives with exceptional CSR initiatives.

For the past four years we have witnessed the transformative impact that strong leadership can have on an organization and its impact. We know that to drive real change and progress, leaders must be visionary, embrace change, question the status quo and be deeply engaged in learning from and shaping the social and philanthropic landscape around us.

It has been fascinating speak with Influencers who participated in the first report and hear how their perspectives have evolved. It has also been extremely refreshing to hear new viewpoints. These leaders shared what concerned them, who and what organizations they admire and how they see the future of philanthropy moving in a rapidly changing world. The end result provides unique insight into the philanthropic landscape we face currently and a window into what leaders see ahead in the near and distant future.

Current challenges and future trends in philanthropy

Our work with some of the largest, most complex nonprofits, Fortune 500 corporations with exceptional CSR initiatives and foundations has provided us with a unique vantage point. The rapidly changing landscape has meant that for some, technological innovation has been key, for others it has meant that their focus has been on sticking with what has worked historically. Many leaders we spoke with lamented the value of “sticking to the basics” amidst the extremely high pressure to be high-tech in today’s digital world.

Many of our Influencers looked ahead to the needs and demands of next generation donors noting that many next generation donors have a hunger for impact data and real insight into the stories and changemakers behind the numbers. Many organizations focused on the continued need for collaboration on all levels, by bringing together development, program and marketing teams under a unified resource mobilization strategy.

Although we asked our new set of Influencers a similar set of questions that we asked in 2017, new insights emerged. Here is some of what we found:

Collaboration: Engaging in large and small-scale partnerships and fostering a spirit of collaboration internally was cited as largely a no-brainer for the Influencers we spoke with, both in terms of collaborative funding models and sharing best practices. Given the diversity of actors working to tackle social problems and the resulting fragmentation of resources and effort that can occur by going at it alone, finding common ground and developing principles of collaboration is crucial to increase impact and avoid the dilution of mission.

Technology: Technology has fuelled a highly informed audience of donors and potential givers. There was a widespread sense that advanced technology is vastly underutilized in many philanthropic organizations. Some noted the lingering challenge of non-profits remaining behind the private sector in leveraging the latest technology wisely due to limited resources and competing demands.

Next Generation Donors: With a lot of focus on next generation donors, many Influencers shared that Millennials and Gen Zer’s surprisingly share many of the typical donor hallmarks of older generations.

The effectiveness of philanthropy: Respondents were clear that philanthropy cannot address the world’s needs on its own and that the yardstick by which we measure philanthropy’s effectiveness should not solely be the absence of social problems. Governments should take a lead role in the work and responsibility of social improvement by providing partnership opportunities to the private and non-profit sectors. Influencers did however stress the unique role of non-profits and the gaps they fill beyond what governments are able to accomplish.

If you wish to download the full report and gain access to a host of related fundraising and philanthropy insights, visit https://www.changingourworld.com/thought-leadership/