Learning from and sharing with philanthropy leaders

Since we launched The Patterson Foundation's vision in 2010, we haven't been shy about sharing our core value: we build connective tissue to create new realities.

One aspect of this includes seeking conversations with leaders within and beyond the philanthropy sector.

The following are just a few of the philanthropy leaders we've been privileged to learn from and share with throughout our journey.

Through our conversations with them, they have added richness and depth to our thought processes and have introduced us to many others we are now proud to call a part of TPF's network.

“My hope for philanthropy is that we consciously shift the focus away from our individual interests and resources and instead look at how best to solve problems in combination with others. If we think and act that way, a host of new possibilities will unfurl. However, when donors take a collaborative problem-solving approach, some of their own processes and protocols will certainly need to change to support collective action.”

- Kathleen P. Enright, President and CEO, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (@GEOFunders on Twitter)

"La Piana Consulting has experienced a significant increase in the exploration of the various forms of partnerships among nonprofits. As well, we have seen increasing interest and involvement of foundations in creating initiatives to support the education of the nonprofit sector, the commitment of resources needed to help nonprofits explore the potential of partnerships and in the training and support of consultants learning to work with organizations in the exploration of partnerships."

- Robert Harrington, Partner, La Piana Consulting (Click here to read La Piana's Blog)

"Experienced grant makers frequently model their collaborative work with other foundations and nonprofits around the principle that none of us will succeed in our journey alone. This spirit of mutual success is at the heart of how The Patterson Foundation works. Alone we fail; together, we succeed."

- Dr. Byron Harrell, Managing Partner, Philoptima

"One of the greatest challenges for philanthropists is knowing what not to do. The Patterson Foundation is taking on this challenge of choice by reconsidering how foundations work, what philanthropy can and cannot do, and how it can be most useful to the communities it cares about. There is much to learn about how foundations can work best in the 21st century ecosystem of private resources for public good. TPF is learning about the "how" as well as the "what" of philanthropy in our global, networked age, and I look forward to learning from them."

- Lucy Bernholz, Managing Director of Arabella Advisors and Publisher of The Future of Good (@p2173 on Twitter)

“Tomorrow’s philanthropists will have to master the art of connection. Working at scale will require learning more about what others are doing before committing one’s resources, being more transparent in communicating one’s work, and reaching out to partners around the corner and around the world. Carrying out one's mission in isolation will no longer get the job done: creating new realities requires learning new behaviors.”

- Bradford K. Smith, Foundation Center (@fdncenter on Twitter)