Ideas abstract

From Crisis to Opportunity: Learning from One Region’s Response to the Economic Downturn Rebecca Graves, Fay Hanleybrown, Veronica Borgonovi

In March of 2009, the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones Industrial Average hit their lowest points in over a decade. No matter where the markets and our global and local economies are on the path to recovery, philanthropy remains critically important to our communities, particularly in places with little evidence of economic prosperity on the horizon.

“From Crisis to Opportunity: Learning from One Region’s Response to the Economic Downturn” profiles the actions taken by funders across one region of the U.S. in order to surface lessons for community-based funders in all regions. We found that many Pacific Northwest funders changed practices and policies in response to urgent needs. To do more with less, these funders were intentional about how best to apply and leverage assets, often collaborating with others to avoid wasting time, effort and money.

Funders now have an opportunity to look back at their initial responses and determine what they have learned that is relevant in their ongoing work.  How can these experiences inform strategies going forward, knowing only that our communities always face an unpredictable future?  Lessons about how to maximize effectiveness with limited resources will always be important to achieving philanthropy’s goals.

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From Crisis to Opportunity: Discussion Guide Rebecca Graves, Fay Hanleybrown, Veronica Borgonovi

These questions are intended to guide community-based funders in discussing lessons learned from the economic recession, and how to adopt effective practices going forward.

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