Dan Corry: Philanthropy & Civil Society Post-Pandemic

Dec 2, 2021

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

In this episode I talk to Dan Corry, Chief Executive of NPC - a UK think tank and consultancy for the social sector. We discuss NPC's "Rethink, Rebuild" project, and how the pandemic might reshape philanthropy and civil society. Including:

What does it mean to take a systems approach whens setting strategy, and why is it important?
To what extent might erode individual organisational identity over time? Is that a problem, or a good thing?
Is there too much competition and not enough collaboration in the charity sector? Why is this?
Why are existing approaches to collaboration not always good at ensuring equity and fairness?
What kind of challenges are there for traditional grantmakers when it comes to bringing communities and people with lived experience into decision making processes?
Are there signs that funders are changing their behaviour during the current crisis? (Moving to unrestricted funding, trust-based grantmaking etc.) Is this likely to lead to longer-term changes?
How can funders strike the right balance between taking a trust-based approach and not placing unnecessary reporting burdens on grantees, and having sufficient measurement to ensure they still know their funding is working?
What role can data play in making philanthropy and grantmaking more effective and equitable?
How do we enable and incentivise data sharing approaches?
What will be required to convince local and central govt, and public sector bodies, of the merits of sharing their data with charities?
Is too much of the emphasis in the current UK government “Levelling Up” agenda on physical infrastructure?
How do we get government to think of social infrastructure alongside physical infrastructure?
Do we need to “level up” the charity sector itself, in order to overcome geographic imbalances in where there is provision and resources?
What is the role of government when it comes to philanthropy & civil society? E.g. To acknowledge it, to craft a narrative about the role it plays, to support it actively, to hold it to account etc?
How can we get better understanding and clearer narratives about philanthropy/civil society in the minds of policymakers?
Are there any practical barriers that are currently limiting the ability of civil society to “have a seat at the table” when it comes to policy discussions? What could we do to overcome these?