A Call to Grantmakers

Friday, September 30, 2005

(The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation)September 30, 2005

Dear Friend,

Last week, I had the opportunity to lead two sessions at the 2005 Council on Foundations Fall Conference for Community Foundations in Seattle. I spent a great deal of time talking with community foundation executives about the condition of the country, what we need to do to pursue an alternate path in public life and politics, and the role that community foundations and other grantmakers can play.
I came away convinced that community foundations are among only a handful of organizations that cut across boundaries in a community, and are uniquely positioned to be catalysts for real and sustainable change.

Community foundations can conduct their work in ways that both address core social needs and builds community at the same time. This will require moving away from ìmechanistic responses,î such as replicating ìbest practicesî without examining fully our purpose in acting, and instead engaging in a new level of being ìruthlessly strategicî and spreading a sense of hope. The power of community foundations rests with their knowledge of and connection to the community.

My latest book Hope Unraveled: The Peopleís Retreat and Our Way Back, which I had the opportunity to share with many of you in Seattle, lays out the increasingly challenging conditions in which community foundations operate. It can help you, your staff, and your donors put your work in the context of reality of peopleís lives. None of us are enthusiastic about the current state of affairs in our world, and especially in our own nation. We know conditions are not as good as they should be. We know that something has to change, and soon.

We must be clear on the conditions we face, what it takes for communities to actually change, what the right levers are at the right time to spark such change, and the capacity that is needed in the community to bring about change. We must also focus much more on the so-called soft side of the equation ñ what I would call ìhopeî or ìcivic faithî or peopleís aspirations (different people will use different terms). But the point is that when all is said and done, we are in the business of people, of human nature, of generating a sense of possibility and hope.

Hope Unraveled can be a powerful tool in efforts to spur change and ignite peopleís civic imagination. The Harwood Institute offers a variety of opportunities to work with your organization to put the bookís messages to work for you.

I am available to speak with your staff, board, or grantees about the state of public life in America, and how to apply the messages of the book to your program work.

We can help you to connect with your donors, putting your work in the context of book's messages, and illustrate how their support is helping to find an alternate path for public life.

There is also a discussion guide available for use in spurring community conversations. You can order the book here and download the discussion guide here. (The Institute receives no proceeds from $9.95 sale price; we are solely interested in spreading the message to those who can incorporate it in their work).

Next year, the Institute will be sponsoring a Community Foundation Workspace to help community-based grant makers have a greater impact in their community by becoming catalysts for change. Please call Salin Geevarghese at (301) 656-3669 for more information on how you can take part in the workspace.

Community foundations are a vital part of helping to find an alternate path for public life, and here is an important opportunity for you to spark a purposeful conversation in your organization and your community. If you would like to take the first steps along an alternate path to a more vibrant public life and politics, please give us a call at (301) 656-3669.

Very truly yours,

Richard C. Harwood
President, The Harwood Institute



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	A Call to Grantmakers Friday, September 30, 2005 (The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation)September 30, 2005 Dear Friend, Last week, I had the opportunity to lead two sessions at the 2005 Council on Foundations Fall Conference for Community Foundations in Seattle. I spent a great deal of time talking with community foundation executives about the condition of the country, what we need to do to pursue an alternate path in public life and politics, and the role that community foundations and other grantmakers can play. I came away convinced that community foundations are among only a handful of organizations that cut across boundaries in a community, and are uniquely positioned to be catalysts for real and sustainable change. Community foundations can conduct their work in ways that both address core social needs and builds community at the same time. This will require moving away from ìmechanistic responses,î such as replicating ìbest practicesî without examining fully our purpose in acting, and instead engaging in a new level of being ìruthlessly strategicî and spreading a sense of hope. The power of community foundations rests with their knowledge of and connection to the community. My latest book Hope Unraveled: The Peopleís Retreat and Our Way Back, which I had the opportunity to share with many of you in Seattle, lays out the increasingly challenging conditions in which community foundations operate. It can help you, your staff, and your donors put your work in the context of reality of peopleís lives. None of us are enthusiastic about the current state of affairs in our world, and especially in our own nation. We know conditions are not as good as they should be. We know that something has to change, and soon. We must be clear on the conditions we face, what it takes for communities to actually change, what the right levers are at the right time to spark such change, and the capacity that is needed in the community to bring about change. We must also focus much more on the so-called soft side of the equation ñ what I would call ìhopeî or ìcivic faithî or peopleís aspirations (different people will use different terms). But the point is that when all is said and done, we are in the business of people, of human nature, of generating a sense of possibility and hope. Hope Unraveled can be a powerful tool in efforts to spur change and ignite peopleís civic imagination. The Harwood Institute offers a variety of opportunities to work with your organization to put the bookís messages to work for you. I am available to speak with your staff, board, or grantees about the state of public life in America, and how to apply the messages of the book to your program work. We can help you to connect with your donors, putting your work in the context of book's messages, and illustrate how their support is helping to find an alternate path for public life. There is also a discussion guide available for use in spurring community conversations. You can order the book here and download the discussion guide here. (The Institute receives no proceeds from $9.95 sale price; we are solely interested in spreading the message to those who can incorporate it in their work). Next year, the Institute will be sponsoring a Community Foundation Workspace to help community-based grant makers have a greater impact in their community by becoming catalysts for change. Please call Salin Geevarghese at (301) 656-3669 for more information on how you can take part in the workspace. Community foundations are a vital part of helping to find an alternate path for public life, and here is an important opportunity for you to spark a purposeful conversation in your organization and your community. If you would like to take the first steps along an alternate path to a more vibrant public life and politics, please give us a call at (301) 656-3669. Very truly yours, Richard C. Harwood President, The Harwood Institute
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