A deep dive into ‘better’ philanthropy with Genevieve Timmons’ new Savvy Giving

Genevieve first published Savvy Giving in 2013 and it became a widely read ‘how to’ guide for effective grantmaking and philanthropy. She’s now written a new edition that provides a roadmap for contemporary giving in Australia, reflecting the evolution of practice in the sector. Here, she reflects on what’s changed and the opportunities and challenges ahead.

1. Savvy Giving can be described as a manual for how to do philanthropy well – ‘a skilled approach to better giving’. Why was this book needed now and who is it for?

The book is for anyone who has thought of using their money for agency to create change through philanthropy. So that could be multimillionaires or billionaires, it could be established foundations looking to interrogate their practice, it could be someone who is looking to donate regularly through workplace giving, it could be a new community foundation setting up as a grantmaker or it could be accountants and financial advisers who don’t yet understand enough about philanthropy to support their clients.

Anyone who wants to give constructively in 2024 and picks up Savvy Giving should be able to find something that’s relevant for them.

2. How does the book relate to the first edition and what’s different in this one?

The first Savvy Giving came out of a Grantmakers Toolkit I was asked to write for Philanthropy New Zealand. Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) co-founder Marian Webster and Michael Webster were deeply committed advocates early on for effective giving in Australia and they asked me to do a toolkit for Australia, which I did. It then became an offering for ACF to provide to its members as a picture of what contemporary giving can look like.

I’ve written the second edition not only because the first had sold out but also because so much has grown and changed in the philanthropy sector in Australia and across the world. ACF has taken a brave and modern approach to giving and is in perfect alignment with the perspectives and challenges of Savvy Giving, which is why ACF supported the production of the book and I’m prepared as author to make it open source. Savvy Giving is written as an offering to deepen the conversation about effective and organised giving and it contains the insights of many people – it belongs to the sector. It wouldn’t exist if I sat in a room and wrote it by myself.

3. Philanthropy is more commonly being recognised as an ecosystem. From the long-established family trusts to community foundations and giving circles, how do you see the different elements of the sector intersecting?

There are so many fingerprints on giving that we now recognize as critical to effective, contemporary giving. We have moved on from the idea that a small number of very wealthy people make up the philanthropic sector.

This broader view of the philanthropy ecosystem encourages tapping into quite modest amounts of money which can achieve a lot. There are case studies in Savvy #2  about great ideas that grew into substantial outcomes and started with very little money. The ecosystem I’ve mapped out is intended to illustrate how it’s a continuum of giving. Another critical recognition of the ecosystem is that communities taking the lead in their own philanthropy is an essential part of giving, otherwise you can end up with people donating money to things that are irrelevant or uninformed by local needs and opportunities. The communities are what I call the “destination experts” to help donations create the best impact achievable….. also, by understanding the complexity of the ecosystem and making it visible, we can see there is a continuum that links the big donors with the smaller components of giving.

4. There are many great case studies in the book. Do any stand out for you?

Choosing a case study from Savvy #2 is like having me choose between my children or flowers in my garden! We’re in a time where there’s an ocean of good stories to draw on, especially in the last five years, which is terrific. And the quality of achievement by our not for profits is never to be underestimated, it’s a matter of getting closer and learning about what can happen with our philanthropic dollars.

Having said that, one story that immediately comes to mind is the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture. That was an example of a group of experts in their field who knew a long time ago that people coming to Australia having suffered trauma and torture needed specialist support to help them access the housing, education, employment services that were available to them in Australia. 

This enlightened group said the best way to help rebuild their shattered lives was a one-stop shop and program where someone would walk alongside them to resettle over time. They were supported by The Myer Foundation and the Reichstein Foundation to create a 12-month pilot, which proved quickly beyond doubt that it was effective and created benefit for everyone involved – clients, service providers and the government.

The Victorian state government then backed it and Foundation House grew to develop education and wellbeing programs that were then set up in other states. Over time, this work has received global acknowledgement and recognition from the World Health Organsation and awards from the United Nations.  

That is systems change at its best – a brilliant example of how two small grants can lead to extraordinary outcomes. But this happened over a long period of time, with many committed and talented people who could get on and do what they knew would work, initially with philanthropic dollars to fuel their efforts.

The question for funders now – is how do you find the work that leads to impactful change or improvement, including the slow-burns? Looking for impact is important, but we have to be careful not to strangle the possibility of the ideas that we can fund, by too much planning and anticipation. The challenge is to find the sweet spot between doing our due diligence and working through trust-based relationships with people so that we know we are making effective grants, and sometimes allow others to lead where the money goes.

5. What are the challenges and opportunities for philanthropy in the next 5-10 years?

The fact that we are aiming for not only more but better giving means that we have a range of opportunities to recognize and embrace, and to listen deeply so we can take up the new ground as philanthropy moves forward. Examples include valuing and building allyship with the leadership from our First Nations peoples, which is a powerful resource for all of us in how philanthropy can be more effective. There’s the Pay-What-It-Takes movement, which is a respect for a deeper understanding for what it takes for NFPs to do well. We need to talk frankly about how power is used and shared, including truth telling around colonization and wealth creation. Then there’s the bringing together of wealth management and how we grow it.

The potential with communities leading their own management of resources is still largely untapped but global examples show that Australia has a big opportunity to get behind the community foundations movement. We need to understand it, to build the infrastructure to mobilise resources at scale so that communities are effectively equipped to respond to their own circumstances. The response to climate change impacts like bushfires and floods are immediately obvious examples, as well as creating the circumstances for social and economic prosperity in all communities across Australia.

And of course, keeping an open ear to what young people are telling us as they take a place in philanthropy with new ideas and fresh eyes is a powerful perspective for contemporary giving.

Philanthropy in Australia has come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go. There are some outstanding examples around collaborations and working together collectively to share practice, which is a sectoral challenge if we are to move forward together with shared vision. There’s a commitment to an open learning practice in the sector that we need to keep growing. Let’s not be afraid of self-reflection and being able to interrogate each other and ourselves.

A key message in Savvy #2 is the welcome to new people coming into the sector with exciting and fresh approaches to giving. This welcome is accompanied with the challenge that if people get under way before they understand the fundamentals of giving, the historical context and where they fit in the contemporary ecosystem, money can be wasted and damage can be done.

6. What impact do you hope the book will have?

I hope Savvy #2 will serve as an open invitation for people to keep thinking about what their own giving can look like, wherever they are engaged. And I hope people will take it forward to deepen the conversation and keep challenging each other in ways that enable us to be the best we can in philanthropy.

Savvy Giving: A roadmap for contemporary philanthropy in Australia will be officially launched on 19 September 2024 but can be purchased online now.

For any queries regarding Savvy Giving, including access to key resources, bulk order discounts or launch events, contact Australian Communities Foundation.