Learning Isn't What's Slowing Philanthropy Down

*Philanthropy takes a lot of heat for being slow to move money. And the thing that's usually blamed for that is learning, all of the evaluating and the reports and the pontificating. Our guest today thinks that this critique is fair, but that the blame on learning is actually not accurate. Katherine Haugh is the founder of the Convive Collective, a learning partner to some of the largest climate focused philanthropies in the US and Europe. Convive has co-created a learning philanthropy framework with an initial cohort of six funders, including Co-Impact, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Lodz Foundation. In this conversation, we cover what's actually slowing philanthropies down if it isn't learning, why learning is often used as a way to dodge a decision, how trust-based philanthropy and rigorous learning can actually reinforce one another, and the two things a philanthropy needs in place in order to become an effective learning-based philanthropy or organization. Episode Highlights: [00:14:15] The real reason money moves slowly: control and ego, not learning [00:18:00] Why learning has such a good brand, and how that hides dysfunction [00:19:45] Learning as a way to dodge a hard decision [00:26:30] The two non-negotiables: leadership commitment and psychological safety [00:32:35] Why foundations won't publish their failures [00:44:30] The "healthy life" metaphor for becoming a learning organization Notable Quotes: Katherine Haugh [00:15:50]: "I actually think that the reason why that is, is a function of control and ego." Katherine Haugh [00:18:00]: "Learning has a great reputation. Learning is a great brand. No one ever says, 'We hate learning.'" Katherine Haugh [00:28:15]: "You can have excellent evidence, but if your team doesn't feel safe to say what they really feel, it's all for nothing." Resources & Links: The Convive Collective — https://convivecollective.com The Learning Philanthropy Framework Center for Evaluation Innovation — cited at [00:16:30] as the source tracking how much of foundation portfolios go to learning and evaluation. Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. #philanthropy #nonprofitleadership #socialimpact #Grantmaking