Trust in Philanthropy: a Report on the Philanthropy; Insight Project 2018-2021

Abstract

In contrast to governments and corporate actors, philanthropy had been less concerned with declining levels of trust. Increasing criticism and the more frequent appearance of obstacles have changed the game. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, trust has become a central currency within the philanthropic eco-system. Although recognising the relevance of trust for their operations is important, questions remain as to how to advance trust in practical terms. By taking a standpoint in which trust was viewed as fundamental, but as an underrated category for global philanthropy, the Philanthropy.Insight Project focused on three major objectives: First, to increase the understanding and awareness of the role of trust in philanthropic practice. Second, to create a network of like-minded philanthropists devoted to trust-driven philanthropic practice. Third, to identify the modalities of a practical concept of trust in philanthropic practice. Its strategic approach entailed exploring knowledge and expertise as well as initiating dialogue and collective reflection to improve the practice of philanthropy vis-à-vis the resource trust. The Philanthropy.Insight Project identified a pentagon of five overarching principles - Commitment, Public Purpose, Relevance, Performance and Accountability - to be at the core of trust-driven philanthropy. It also documented that trust influences personal and institutional relations: on the one hand as an authentic, honest intention and a willingness to be vulnerable, and on the other as reliance on competence and skills. As a result, the PI principles were turned into an assessment tool (PIAT) by breaking down the principles into qualities and introducing a questionnaire. To render trust more precisely in practical terms, the Philanthropy.Insight Project has suggested that philanthropic trust manifests in at least three different forms: trust within philanthropic organisations, trust between actors of the philanthropic eco-system, and trust vis-à-vis the public and the private sector as well as in response to increasing public scrutiny. Throughout the Philanthropy.Insight Project a variety of research-based publications have been issued by practitioner magazines, journals, and academic journals. In addition, several exchanges took place in-person and online with actors from the global philanthropic eco-system. A peer exchange platform was planned but couldn’t be implemented in the end.