12 Lessons 2016

Between 2015 and 2016, McConnell reviewed and revised its philanthropic theory and practice. It became clear that being a learning organization was key to the foundation’s identity and ability to have a positive impact in the social sector. Concurrently, in conversations with numerous stakeholders, staff discovered that many saw the foundation as a “black box” -- collecting insights into social innovation and social finance, but rarely sharing them publicly. 12 Lessons was conceived as a project that would rectify this, by closely examining what had been learned during a year of grantmaking, impact investing, convening and other activities, and asking: what worked, what didn’t, and why?

Download 12 Lessons Learned 2016

12 Lessons 2016

Between 2015 and 2016, McConnell reviewed and revised its philanthropic theory and practice. It became clear that being a learning organization was key to the foundation’s identity and ability to have a positive impact in the social sector. Concurrently, in conversations with numerous stakeholders, staff discovered that many saw the foundation as a “black box” -- collecting insights into social innovation and social finance, but rarely sharing them publicly. 12 Lessons was conceived as a project that would rectify this, by closely examining what had been learned during a year of grantmaking, impact investing, convening and other activities, and asking: what worked, what didn’t, and why?

Download 12 Lessons Learned 2016

About

12 Lessons is a summary of lessons learned, old practices and beliefs to be unlearned, or things to learn in the future — typically expressed by staff of the McConnell Foundation, but also sometimes by others in our networks. Each year the theme and look of 12 Lessons varies. The project has been conducted annually from 2016 to 2020. The goal is to be transparent about the work of philanthropy, and to share what we’re learning about what is going well and what needs to be improved.

Why is it 12 Lessons? Initially we wanted to collect a lesson for each month. We retained the number 12, even though the lessons are no longer associated with any particular month of the year. 12 is manageable. We can hold ourselves accountable to 12 lessons annually!

For more questions, please contact info@mcconnellfoundation.ca.