Giving to Solve a Problem: A Cause-Based Approach in Practice
In December, we made the case for a cause-based approach to giving—that we can activate greater generosity and see better ROI through giving to solve a problem rather than just giving to individual organizations. We believe this kind of cause-based, collaborative giving is the next evolution of effective stewardship, and it will require new funding intermediaries that can make this possible.
At Flourish Fund, as we’ve been building our first initiative to reimagine the foster care system, we’ve refined a process that includes:
Developing a deep understanding of the problem
Casting a redemptive vision for systems change
Shaping a strategy to bring this vision to life
Pooling philanthropic capital from generous families and institutions
Deploying capital to shift the conditions holding a problem in place
Actively monitoring outcomes and adapting based on what we learn
This post unpacks the first parts of this process—in a follow-up post, we will share more about our approach to pooling and deploying capital and rigorously evaluating outcomes and learnings.
Developing a Deep Understanding of the Problem
I spent years at a strategy consultancy helping leaders tackle big problems facing their organizations. A core tenet of this work is that a good strategy begins with a deep understanding of the current state. To use the language of human-centered design, to come up with better solutions, you need to better understand the problem.
So that’s one of the first steps required in tackling big challenges. Analyze the data. Get close to people who are in the trenches and listen deeply to them. Synthesize from research, expertise, and lived experience: Where is this problem stuck? Where are innovative things happening? What are some big levers for change? Where is God moving?
To understand the foster care system, we spent a year conducting research and interviewing more than a hundred nonprofit leaders, subject matter experts, and those affected by the system (e.g., families, case workers, policy leaders). We articulated clear problem statements identifying parts of the current system that need to change.
Casting Redemptive Vision
We then translated the learnings from this research and analysis into a vision for redemptive change. And we did that collaboratively, soliciting input from key stakeholders.
During our design and development process, we partnered with Praxis to host two convenings of national leaders. The goal was to lean into the collective wisdom and creativity of diverse leaders, considering: What can we do differently, together?
This collaborative work contributed to a Redemptive Thesis for Foster Care and a blueprint that articulated a vision for Local ecosystems of care, anchored by the church, that can meet the physical, relational, and spiritual needs of vulnerable children and families.
This kind of a thesis puts some stakes in the ground—here are ways that we need to think differently about this challenge. Here’s a new north star that can unify the field and galvanize action.
Developing this collaborative vision was a deeply relational process. Building trust and buy-in has required us to listen well, honoring the wisdom of those who have worked on this challenge for years while humbly raising new questions, insights, and provocations.
Shaping a Strategy and Deploying Capital to Bring This Vision to Life
We then shaped a holistic strategy to move from the current state toward this redemptive vision. What do we think it will take to move the needle? How can we shift the conditions that are holding this problem in place?
Our strategy for reimagining foster care identified three core opportunity areas:
Empowering parents and strengthening families to prevent kids from unnecessarily entering foster care
Mobilizing and equipping the church at a much greater scale
Fostering better collaboration among churches, governments, and community organizations
Across these opportunity areas, we will invest in:
Growing and spreading innovative programs
Strengthening the field’s knowledge and capacity
Developing emerging proofs of concept in specific places.
Spreading innovations means coming alongside organizations and high-potential entrepreneurs, helping them build the foundations for growth, then providing the flexible capital and strategic support needed to replicate and scale their innovations.
Building the field includes strengthening relationship networks that connect innovators and elevate best practices, investing in technology platforms with transformative potential for how the field works, and advancing the softer but critical dimensions that shift systems (e.g., cultural values and narratives, public policies and practices).
Finally, because the foster care system is so fragmented and localized, we need to ensure that national innovation is grounded in local realities. So we evaluated 25 different markets and identified four cities (Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, and Memphis) where we will develop emerging proofs of concept. These places will enable us to put some ingredients together, cultivating the conditions from which better outcomes can emerge—and showing the way for what can be replicated nationally. Local engagements also give the social innovators we’re funding an environment to learn and experiment. Collectively, we can understand how solutions may vary in different contexts: How does our approach need to evolve in a more prosperous city vs. a deeply distressed city? What’s required in a blue state vs. a red state?
We’ve been learning as we go, and we are still refining this process. Our consistent refrain has been: let’s continue to do the next right thing. We are encouraged by the helpful feedback we’ve received and that this approach has resonated with a growing community of partners, givers, and friends.
Stay tuned: next, we’ll go deeper on what comes next—mirroring where we are in our journey! We’ll unpack our approach for pooling capital from generous families and institutions, how we intend to deploy capital to shift the conditions holding a problem in place, and actively measure and evaluate our outcomes and learnings.
Thanks for following along on this journey!