Food For Thought: Learning & Resource Recommendations

Looking for your next great read or listen before summer comes to an end? The SVP Vancouver team has curated articles, reports, books, and more, filled with data, ideas, and possibilities for the philanthropic sector. We’re always looking for learning opportunities and these have definitely made us think, question, and see our work in new ways.

From looking at Admin Percentage through a new lens to the key infrastructure that creates scale to where philanthropy might go next, our picks explore some of the most pressing issues and thought-provoking ideas facing the sector today.  

We hope you discover something that challenges your thinking, sparks a conversation, or deepens your connection to this work.

Articles 

There’s No Right Admin Percentage
Where Gordon Holley, Co-founder of Humanity Financial Management, argues that social impact isn’t captured by simplistic metrics alone—we must adopt a systems-conscious, multi-method approach.

CIPC Report – Succession Planning | Nic Gagliardi
Half of Canadian charities expect a leadership transition in the next five years, yet 62% have no succession plan in place. Nic Gagliardi breaks down the latest CICP data, and explains why boards need to tackle this critical governance gap.

What if Philanthropy Hoarded Uncertainty, Not Money? | Katya Fels Smyth
Katya Fels Smyth, Senior Fellow, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University, argues funding volatility is crushing the nonprofit sector. She challenges funders to stop passing the burden of financial and strategic uncertainty onto grantees, offering three actionable principles to help foundations absorb risk so nonprofits can focus on their missions.

Black Faces, White Systems by Paul Taylor 
Paul Taylor’s recent blog post pairs nicely with the hoarding uncertainty article above. At the heart of both articles is a question about how we (as individuals and as funders) create the environment around us, and an invitation to reflect on what we want to cultivate in the world and in our philanthropic community.

Industry Reports 

Rooted In Community: The Infrastructure Powering Collective Giving: A report from the Dorothy A. Johnson Centre for Philanthropy co-authored by Sr. Adriana Loson-Ceballos, Co-Chair of SVP International, on the reach, efficacy, and accessibility of collective giving through the infrastructures that sustain it—the organizations, relationships, and systems that support collective giving beyond individual groups. 

The Impact Garden Methodology Brief by Jannik Kaiser and Erinda Panen Godesberg
An interesting take on one of the persistent tensions in social change work: how does one rigorously prove impact without flattening the complexity of what’s actually happening?

The brief’s three guiding ideas: 

1. The need for a flexible toolbox with a clear foundation.
2. How perfect evaluations are impossible in the complex environment of philanthropy, and why the goal should be transparency instead.
3. Why the story should belong to the community itself.

Books

A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth into a More Just and Sustainable Future by Dimple Abichandani
“A must-read for anyone in philanthropy, particularly those who question whether and how philanthropic resources can address the current, complex challenges our world faces.” — Nick Tedesco, president and chief executive officer of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. 

Please Be Good At Philanthropy by Jen Ford Reedy
Based on her popular “Philanthropy 101” class, this book is a candid, practical guide to what good grantmaking actually looks like. It addresses the skills gap (being successful in government or business doesn’t automatically translate to philanthropy, and good intentions might not always equal good practice), and the power dynamics between funders and grantees. The book also explores how to balance humility with passionate ambition in the philanthropic sector. 

The Philanthropist Journal’s Book Review Library: The Philanthropist Journal’s robust collection of book reviews is a treasure trove for anyone interested in the ideas shaping social impact, leadership, and philanthropy today. Explore their archive, and if you’re not already on their newsletter list, now’s the time to sign up!

One More Book

Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman
This one ruffles feathers and forces us all to look hard at where and how we deploy our skills, resources, and treasure to address the biggest problems of our time, especially when it comes to philanthropy. “Fresh, lucid, and persuasive, Moral Ambition gives us hope, humour, and guidance when all are in short supply.” – Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny.

If you had a read through some of these and discovered something that challenges your thinking, or deepens your connection to this work, we’d love to hear from you! Connect with [email protected] or [email protected] anytime.