Rethinking Philanthropy and Charity with Systems Thinking - CoCreation

Welcome all to the next CoCreation event organized by the Si Network, where we will be exploring the challenge of changing the paradigm of philanthropy and charity towards a systems thinking approach that is better suited to addressing wicked challenges.

During the 120-minute live event, we will hear from guest speakers and engage in an online workshop design to apply key ideas from systems thinking toward generating new insights and approaches to philanthropy and charity that are better suited to enabling systems innovation.

Philanthropy and charity is the act of giving resources or help for the benefit of the public good, for support of those in need, and for recognition. Although the paradigm to how we do charity and philanthropy that developed during the modern era has served us well at some stage and for some challenges, it fails to reflect appropriately the nature and complexity of the wicked challenges it hopes to address today. If we hope to direct and utilize resources effectively to address critical challenges, new ways of thinking and organizating are much needed.

What is needed is an approach that is better informed by an understanding of complex systems and how they work, one that is able to see and work with the whole rather than funneling all our resources into finding the winner. One that recognises the need for systems-level change and reconizes that such change does not come about through one organisation, program or initiative but requires ecosystem level coordination and collaboration.

For this new types of funding model and networks need to be developed. This requires new ways of assessing that is aware and working with processes of emergence and focused on systems health rather than specific outcomes. It requires new models and approaches to attribution.

It requires an approach that is suited to working with complex and uncertain environments, approaches that are adaptive, iterative, and experimental. Approaches that embrace innovation, a growth mindset, and learning are core elements to making sustainable long-term progress on wicked challenges.

How it works
This open innovation session will be run on the online whiteboard called Miro. We will be using a customized version of our popular Systems Thinking Canvas. During the course of 120 minutes, we will hear from speakers about the challenge while sharing our insights, experiences, and thinking.