Would philanthropy be more impactful if donors took a trust-based approach? In this episode Reshma Anand, CEO of Hindustan Unilever Foundation, and Anand Sinha, India country adviser at Packard Foundation, discuss the role of trust in philanthropy and why power needs to be shared in order to create a more just and equitable society. 

Highlights:

• Power dynamics in philanthropy are deeply entrenched. Changing this to share power with others requires donors to significantly change how they do business and think about accountability. 
• If philanthropy wants to bring about sustainable, long-term social change then it needs to focus on enablers and capabilities and not just on activities. 

• A strategic approach to giving is compatible with a trust-based approach.

• Trust works both ways—grantees and donors must build and earn each other’s trust so they can communicate more effectively.

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Read more:

1. Why can’t more philanthropists think like MacKenzie Scott?

2. Where Indian philanthropy has gone wrong

3. Reflections: Philanthropy in India during COVID-19

4. The Trust Based Philanthropy Project

5. It’s time for funders to pay-what-it-takes

6. How funders in India can better manage the risks of big philanthropy

7. Love, not log frames

8. “Philanthropy is not only for the wealthy”

9. Is philanthropy really changing anything?

10.  Making philanthropy more business-like is a big mistake