The Cross-Cultural Voice of Change
By: Ife Jamila Goodson, Graduate Student, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI
For some, the idea of change can be uncomfortable and they therefore do everything within their power to avoid it. On the other hand, there are individuals and institutions that make change their primary mission and seek to confront it boldly with every step. However, the difficulty found in spurring and inspiring change, is that change tends to change. The strategies, organizational structures, technological resources and philanthropic vehicles that customarily serve as a reliable mechanism to promote change, are adapting and shifting over time. As a non-traditional graduate student, with policy experience within the non-profit, private and public sectors, I have witnessed how change is changing both inside and outside of the classroom. Academics and practitioners alike are continually asking, if change were personified, in what ways would giving and other philanthropic activity become its ally? Some emerging perspectives on the topic include the use of cross-cultural approaches and a change focused approach, in order to create unlikely alliances and build investments that strengthen organizations.
Recently, as a graduate student, I was awarded a Yurtseven International Initiatives Scholarship to support study abroad travel to examine issues in German philanthropy. This program, hosted by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, provided a firsthand learning experience in philanthropy and public policy through lectures and meetings with professors, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, and foundations throughout Berlin and Hamburg.
Throughout the trip, I became very reflective on the comparative impacts of both the holocaust and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Each in their own way, shaping the present culture and social landscape across Germany and the United States. In sharing some of my personal thoughts from the trip with a colleague, I was referred to Louis Porter II’s “An Unlikely Alliance: Adam Clayton Powell Sr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Seeds of Transformation.” This writing describes the influence of cross-cultural learning combined with a change focused mindset. As it is told, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian came to America during 1930 as a seminary student and was introduced to Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., the pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. After being influenced by the preaching, social work and spiritual music found at that Harlem church, Bonhoeffer ultimately returned to Germany fueled to overthrow existing anti-Semitic systems. (Porter, L., 2014)
This story, combined with my own study abroad experience demonstrates the power and impact of diverse philanthropic experiences and unlikely points of connection toward change. One way that organizations can fuel a change focused mindset, is through the use of design thinking. Although not new conceptually, the recent application of design thinking within the social sector has become more widely discussed. According to Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, potential social sector design interventions can be applied to (1) shape an organization’s internal culture to be collaborative; (2) design grantee services and programs; and (3) inform a foundation’s strategic planning process. (Roumani, N., Best, P., & Vagelos, O., 2015)
My study abroad trip to Germany gave me the opportunity to experience philanthropy within a different landscape and encouraged both personal and professional discovery. It additionally highlighted the idea that across social change, whether within the United States or abroad, some things are universal─ challenges that need to be articulated and the changes that make communicating those challenges tough. But through change-driven leadership, organizations can engage in cross-cultural communication and learning, in order to interrupt routine methodologies and reframe their connection to impact.
About the Author
Ife Jamila Goodson is a Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership student at IUPUI. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a policy advocate for a local Chamber of Commerce (1,200+ membership), a coalition of 100+ youth serving organizations in D.C. and the Executive Office of former D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. Throughout her career, she developed strategies that integrated policy analysis, media outreach and issue research to advance organizational priorities. She is originally from Plainfield, New Jersey and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Howard University.
References:
Porter, L. (2014). An unlikely alliance: ADAM Clayton Powell Sr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the seeds of transformation. CrossCurrents, 64(1), 116-122. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cros.12063/pdf
Roumani, N., Best, P., & Vagelos, O. (n.d.). DRAFT -‐ Design Thinking and Strategic Philanthropy Case Study Raikes Foundation (August 2015, pp. 1-23). Stanford University Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. doi:https://pacscenter.stanford.edu/2015/11/design-thinking-and-strategic-ph...
This blog was contributed in recognition of the 2017 Black Philanthropy Month theme, Giving Voice to Fuel Change. #BPM17