Over two years, 23 grantmakers explored how to improve openness and transparency. The grantseekers we learned from made the best case for improving our practices.

“Philanthropy gains impact and trust with grantseekers when funders practice openness. Grantseekers are able to get a stronger sense of the priorities of the funder when there is openness in the relationship.” Gina Weekley - At-Risk Student Supports Coordinator, Waterloo Community School District

“Everybody wins when funders practice openness, especially the people nonprofits are serving. We risk continuing to do the same things the same way without openness. Not practicing openness is a big risk.” Annie VanderWerff - Executive Director. Community Health Initiative, Haiti

Pushing for transparency, stretching for partnerships, and improving our processes are not new issues for philanthropy. We’ve heard the calls to improve for years. But, they are issues where we need more progress and where we could use some new approaches.

In Iowa, we decided to use an innovative approach to tackle these perennial dilemmas. See What I Mean and Visual Logic, helped Iowa Council of Foundation members import user experience (UX) techniques from the high-tech and human-centered design world. UX demands we focus on the experience of grantseekers and discipline ourselves to put grantseekers in the center of our foundations’ design, strategy, and culture. In short, to work from a paradigm of empathy instead of power.

To find out more about what we discovered when we used UX tools to embrace adaptive change in philanthropy, check out our white paper.

-Author, Stacy Van Gorp

Innovating with Empathy