If wealthy donors want to give well, grantees need a voice

To the Editor,

Maria Di Mento’s recent article “Wealthy People Are Learning to Give Better. Here’s How,” points to a welcome shift. More donors are being encouraged to think seriously about how they give, to seek advice, and to learn from others. But the piece also raises an important question: What do we mean by “giving better”?

What struck me was how much of this learning still centers on the donor. The focus is largely on making better philanthropic choices and increasing the effectiveness of giving. Yet improving philanthropic decision making is not necessarily the same as improving the funding relationship. Much less attention is given to what it feels like to receive that funding or to the grant-making practices that shape whether the funds are genuinely useful.

A donor can make a thoughtful choice about which organization to support and still offer a short-term grant, restrict how the money is used, require disproportionate reporting, or leave the grantee with little voice in the relationship.

If we are serious about helping wealthy people give better, grantees need to be part of that learning. Their experience of funding processes offers a different kind of knowledge: insight into which practices support organizations to do their work well — and which make that work harder.

To make a real difference, giving better should include learning from those on the receiving end about how to improve the process.

Sarah Rank
Ph.D. candidate
University of Queensland, Australia