Pia Infante

Towards Trustworthiness: A Practical Application of Trust Based Investing

By May 11, 2015

In recent conversations, including a few I had while at the Council on Foundations Annual Meeting, folks have asked how to adapt TWI’s 9 Practices of Trust Based Investment in their specific contexts. One family foundation executive asked, “How do I get my 24 person multi-generation family member board, to change the grant-making practices that…

Read more

Reversing the Trust Equation: What If Funders Had to Prove Our Trustworthiness (Instead of Grantees Having to Prove Theirs)?

By May 7, 2015

Lately I’ve been inspired by the notion of changing the rules of the philanthropy game here in the U.S., like Professor Ray Madoff’s challenge to institutions with over six hundred billion dollar endowments be required to pay out more than 5% and stop using “charities” as tax shelters for amassing wealth.  Professor Madoff’s ideas seem…

Read more

Beyond the Rockstar Paradigm, Part II

By April 27, 2015

Years ago, I blogged that social movement leadership needed to live into models that do not solely hinge on a single, visionary, rockstar leader. One of TWI’s core partners, Building Movement Project, recently shared some key learning about their commitment to co-leadership.  Many of the points Frances makes resonate strongly with us, in particular the…

Read more

Funders, Bathroom Stalls, and Hegemony: Reflections on a Missed Opportunity to Build Trust

By April 20, 2015

Last week I gathered up TWI’s NYC-based grantees, a couple of funder colleagues, and a couple of consultant friends for a conversation about trust-based grant-making.  I followed many of my own rules, and intentionally stacked the group with mainly women of color leaders and practitioners – folks whose approaches to transforming inequalities were based in…

Read more

Do Less, Accomplish More: The Art of the Un-Conference

By April 9, 2015

Thinking forward towards a gathering TWI will be hosting this fall, I’ve been reflecting on the delicate art of the Un-Conference.  I think of these as experiences that relatively quickly cultivate authentic connection and intimacy between strangers, stimulate new learning, and are spacious enough to allow for emergence. There’s a facilitation metaphor that fits here: …

Read more