Deepening Community Impact: Bringing Systems-Level Thinking to Place-Based Strategies

Increasingly, philanthropists, mission-aligned investors, and nonprofit organizations are recognizing the value of developing place-based strategies for their giving. These donors understand that the strength and capacity of the nonprofit and social impact sector in a given geography is critical but requires a different approach to grantmaking. However, there is a key piece missing from many place-based conversations: stakeholders often struggle to understand the interconnectedness of their community grantees and the true capacity needs of that system of organizations. Instead, they tend to look at the aggregate of individual organizations’ needs or at capacity building as a more generalized set of activities. This can leave gaps that donors and their grantees often don’t even know are there. Looking at the sector as a whole has the potential to catalyze more effective giving, investing, and higher leverage solutions in a real and meaningful way.

This session will feature Mike Wang and Nicole Brisbane of Building Impact Partners, who bring deep experience and expertise in the philanthropic advising sector, working with dozens of communities and geographies across the country. Between them, Nicole and Mike bring decades of experience in place-based giving and the interplay among nonprofit organizations, donors, and communities. They will open the session with a simple framework for how donors can more strategically evaluate the social impact sector in the communities they are supporting, drawing upon their own experiences and direct examples and featuring a conversation with the Engelstad Foundation, a donor preparing to launch a place-based systems strategy in their home community of Las Vegas. Then, they will facilitate participants through adapting and applying the framework in their own contexts, in partnership with grantees and the community. Participants will have the opportunity to work together to generate concrete action steps for those who seek to continue their exploration after SOCAP.

This exploration will help participants explore more deeply a set of relevant questions:
1. What are the current ways you have thought about navigating place-based strategies in your community (for your organization, for others, etc.)?
2. What are the current systemic challenges to bringing change to action and achieving greater equity in your communities?
3. What is one concrete next step you would like to take in applying this framework after you leave here today?

Throughout the session, participants will reflect on these (and related) questions, share thoughts in small groups, and share findings and insights with the wider audience to stimulate conversation.