Shifting Paradigms: The Empowerment Approach to Philanthropy

Most would agree that our social sector is broken. Persistent poverty, homelessness, addiction, and declining economic mobility. Yet we seem to pursue the same paths to change, mostly adhering to top-down models that all too often manage the symptoms rather than deliver personal transformation. It’s time to switch our approach. An empowerment approach puts the individual first, tailoring assistance and measuring transformational impact based on individualized feedback of support received. Together, we’ll discuss approaches to non-profit management, measurement, and giving that take a customer-first, empowerment approach.