If Trust Is the Unique Selling Point, Who Should Funders Back?
Philanthropic funders often struggle to choose between charities with similar missions. The author argues that for many small, place‑based nonprofits, the real unique selling point is relational infrastructure—community trust, legitimacy, and convening power—rather than product or financial metrics. He proposes a two‑step approach: proportionate due‑diligence to confirm basic soundness, followed by an assessment of values, context, and relational fit. Trust, measured through disciplined judgment, becomes the operating system for lasting impact.
Five Lessons From a Supported Housing Pilot
Rethink Mental Illness is midway through a multi‑year supported‑housing pilot in Sheffield, aiming to create an integrated, recovery‑focused system. The pilot emphasizes cross‑sector collaboration, shared “good enough” data, and a focus on housing quality, staffing, and peer support. It also...
DCMS’s Place-Based Plan
On April 13, the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) unveiled "Our Place to Give", the nation’s first strategic plan to grow place‑based philanthropy. The initiative seeks to channel billions of private donations into local communities by aligning wealthy...
Learning Logs: Five Practical Tips
Learning logs are emerging as essential tools for capturing team insights, especially in multi‑year, multi‑stakeholder projects. NPC notes many logs devolve into unwieldy spreadsheets, but five practical tips can make them usable. Clarifying purpose, assigning ownership, reducing entry friction, documenting...
Using Stories to Communicate Systems Change
Organizations collect abundant data yet struggle to demonstrate real impact. The article argues that storytelling converts raw metrics into insight, especially for complex systems change where causality is non‑linear. It outlines a science‑backed, five‑part story arc—who, problem, action, result, reflection—to...