Online-Colloquium: How Foundations and Funders Listen - A Qualitative Review in Europe and Brazil
Luisa Bonin has been Maecenata’s Visiting Researcher from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s German Chancellor Fellowship since October 2021. Her fellowship at Maecenata Foundation ends in January, and we will hold an online colloquium opened by Dr. Rupert Graf Strachwitz, where she will present the findings of her qualitative research about listening practices of foundations and funders in Europe and Brazil, and officially launch the paper.
By understanding listening processes in philanthropy and social impact investments as a critical aspect of building a trustworthy philanthropic practice, this publication offers a qualitative review of how foundations and funders in Europe and Brazil listen.
To comprehend and be able to qualify and classify their listening practices, the interview script was built upon the work of the ”high-quality feedback loop” organisations, that are advocating for better listening practices in philanthropy and aid. Thirty interviews resulted in learnings and insights regarding why organisations listen, the biggest challenges in the process, phases of the projects where listening occurs, who is to listened, methods to listen, space for feedback, reporting back processes, power imbalance and level of participation.
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Luisa Bonin has also had several publications about philanthropy and listening during her fellowship at Maecenata:
- Observatorium 61 und Opusculum 166: Trust in Philanthropy: a Monitoring and Self-Assessment Tool, now in Brazilian Portuguese/ Confiança na filantropia: uma ferramenta de acompanhamento e autoavaliação criada pelo Philanthropy.Insight Project na Maecenata Foundation
- Connected event: Trust in Philanthropy: a Monitoring and Self-Assessment Tool > watch the video here
- Opusculum 165: Listening is not enough: An assessment of the Feedback Loop Methodology