PHILANTHROPIC LEADERS

Civic reflection helps philanthropic leaders clarify their underlying beliefs and values, build community with colleagues in the field, and strengthen their commitment for the work ahead.

Making a Strategic Impact

Good planning requires active reflection. Many foundation board and staff members have found civic reflection to be a useful practice to undertake before, or alongside, their strategic work—such as impact evaluation, succession planning, and guideline revision. Participants find that civic reflection enhances their creativity and helps them to communicate more effectively with each other.

Resources for Reflection on Giving

• Talking Giving: Readings for Civic Reflection. Edited by Susannah Quern Pratt. Project on Civic Reflection, 2010.

This booklet contains six popular readings to spur conversation on the complexities and challenges of giving. Readings are designed to tie into core operational activities—like strategic planning or guideline revision—and are accompanied by reflection exercises and discussion questions.

• The Perfect Gift: The Philanthropic Imagination in Poetry and Prose. Edited by Amy A. Kass. Indiana University Press, 2001.

A collection of readings on giving from many cultures, genres and time periods. Kass's introductions guide the reader's reflection on why, to whom, and what to give, as well as on the question of whether giving can be taught.

• The Civically Engaged Reader: A Diverse Collection of Short Provocative Readings on Civic Activity. Edited by Adam Davis and Elizabeth Lynn. Great Books Foundation, 2006.

This anthology includes a section of readings—by Maya Angelou, Moses Maimonides, Pablo Neruda and others—for inspiring conversation about giving.

• One of the most frequently downloaded resources on our site is Elizabeth Lynn and D. Susan Wisely's essay Four Traditions of Philanthropy. This Discussion Guide is designed for use with the essay.

• Civic Reflection: A Toolkit for Foundation Boards: This toolkit for using civic reflection with board members, developed by the Association of Small Foundations in partnership with the Project on Civic Reflection, is available free of charge through the ASF website. It contains tips for leading the conversation, sample readings and questions, and a list of resources for further learning.

• The Thoughtful Philanthropist: Reading list for a civic reflection discussion group convened by Southern California Grantmakers and the California Council for the Humanities.

• Rotary 14: Reflective Philanthropy: Program description of a pilot series run by Rotary Club #14 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Includes reading list and participant evaluations.

• "Why Do We Give?": Program description of a series convened by the Association of Small Foundations.

• Washington Grantmakers Civic Reflection Series: Program description of a two-year Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers series.

• Philanthropy and Civic Reflection: Program description of a series for directors and members of Chicago-area philanthropic organizations convened by Donors Forum, a regional association of grantmakers.

• Giving in the American Experience: Reading list for a program convened by the Project on Civic Reflection for philanthropic leaders in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area.

• Grantcraft: A project of the Ford Foundation, Grantcraft provides many practical resources for grantmakers, including printed and video guides.

• YouthGive is a site designed to develop and support young philanthropists.

• The goal of Bolder Giving is to inspire philanthropy by promoting the stories of extraordinary givers.