Can Failure Be the Key to Foundation Effectiveness?

By Rebekah Seder, Program Coordinator

At Washington Grantmakers’ Thought Leader event this month, Bob Hughes, former Chief Learning Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, spoke to members about something that funders often try to avoid talking about: failure.

Hughes

According to Hughes, the philanthropic sector “undervalues failures and puts too much emphasis on perceived successes,” a pattern that can sometimes limit the ability of foundations to fully reach their potential to bring about social change. Part of the reason for this is the structure of relationships within the sector.

Failure is a tough thing to talk about given the dynamics between foundation staff and trustees, and between funders and grantees. Talking about failure requires both a high level of trust and a commitment to thinking about failure in terms of learning, instead of just in terms of accountability.

Engaging in work that fails to bring about its intended outcome is certainly something that many foundations have experienced. During the session both Rachel Wick (Consumer Health Foundation) and Karen FitzGerald (Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation) volunteered examples of times when they gained critical new insights by focusing on why prior projects weren’t effective. They explained how they used this knowledge to approach their work in new, more impactful ways.

This kind of creative learning, which allowed the funders to ultimately achieve better results, is an important tool for strengthening philanthropic efforts across the sector and enabling funders to make a greater impact. While it may be uncomfortable at times to admit that a project didn’t achieve its goals, these conversations hold remarkable potential for future success.

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Bob Hughes shifted the perspective on failure. Next, join us for a Skills Building session to learn the skills and tools you need to turn failure into success, Using Failure to Advance Organizational Learning, on April 21st. Click here for more information and to register.