Founders Pledge

There’s often a gap between a donor’s expressed desire to give and their philanthropic reality. Rather than signalling a lack of intention, it’s usually the result of not having what I like to call a “forcing function”. Jeff Bradach's piece in Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) argues that decoupling the commitment to give from the decision of where it goes gets money moving faster. Of course, decoupling alone doesn’t automatically make the process easier. His article highlights how @Founders Pledge guides donors toward action: we facilitate their upfront philanthropic commitment, then we help them decide where their money will go and provide the financial infrastructure to deploy it. https://lnkd.in/eSSZZN3Q

Wealth doesn't come with a playbook. But it does come with pressure - questions, opportunities, asks, problems. That's why many new donors are looking for the research and guidance to help maximize their impact. At Founders Pledge, we ask our members to pledge at least 5% of their personal proceeds from exits and other wealth events to charity. In reality, the average is 14%, often committed before members even know what their equity will be worth. Through supporting hundreds of founders well before any liquidity event, I've seen it hold: when people commit early, they stick to their word and then some. And when they’re ready to give, our in-house advisors and infrastructure are there to support them. I sat down with Maria Di Mento of the Chronicle of Philanthropy to discuss what this means for the next wave of donors. https://lnkd.in/gEdA5WZm

Newly wealthy donors don’t need to be perfect givers from day one. They need a thinking partner who takes their intentions seriously while they develop the judgment that comes with experience. That’s why Founders Pledge is built the way it is. Our team constantly identifies charities and evaluates giving opportunities to offer up-to-date high-impact recommendations for donors. Our Funds cover areas from climate change to catastrophic risk, offering a vetted starting point rather than a blank page. And our in-house Donor Advised Fund means the infrastructure is already there the moment a pledge converts into capital. Of course, none of this replaces a donor’s own judgment. We care about impact first, and our research and grant-making span a range of cause areas. Wherever a donor’s convictions land, we can help them act on them well. Our founder David Goldberg spoke to The Chronicle of Philanthropy about this and how it relates to the upcoming wave of AI IPOs: https://lnkd.in/eCecwswm

Earlier this summer, I spent time in Ethiopia to meet with local teams and beneficiaries of our funded programs. This is part of our ongoing efforts at Founders Pledge to better understand the impact of our grants, the programs we support, and to uncover new opportunities where our research and grantmaking can provide further support. When we model the cost-effectiveness of programs, we work hard to contextualize evidence and capture nuance in our estimates. That said, in-person conversations allow us to further stress-test our assumptions and identify cruxes we may not have considered otherwise. As we expand our research into newer, more neglected areas of Global Health & Development, it was especially valuable to hear from local experts in Addis Ababa. I look forward to incorporating what I learned about health supply chains and domestic financing into our future grantmaking through the Catalytic Impact Fund and our wider Global Health & Development program. More about the trip and our takeaways here: https://lnkd.in/eWiZq3fy

I recently spent some time in Ethiopia getting a first-hand look at the work of our grantees on the ground. As part of our evolving MEL approach, we’re triangulating evidence from multiple sources to really understand and learn from the impact our grantees are having. Site visits are a key part of this and it was invaluable to get out into the field and see things that a monitoring report alone can’t capture. What was great to see in action was these teams constantly pushing to elevate their interventions, trialing ideas, using data to learn as they go, and iterating in real time. It was inspiring to witness a culture of 'learning-by-doing' that so strongly mirrors our own values at Founders Pledge. A huge thank you to all the teams that welcomed us and made the visit so worthwhile! Read more about our team’s key takeaways and the incredible work being done in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/epfE5asH

Welcome back to Founders Pledge Insider! 🗞️ Our monthly digest is packed with the latest research and stories from our ecosystem. In this month’s edition, we update you on a transformational donation to our Climate Fund, explore how AI is reshaping the future of philanthropy, share on-the-ground learnings from our recent grantee site visit to Ethiopia and more! As always, this momentum is thanks to our community of members, donors, and grantees who make this happen. Read more and subscribe below ⬇️