Is now the time to revisit strategy, or have we become so focused on strategy that it risks slowing us down?
- Jul 29
- 2 min read
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center's 11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2026 highlights a landscape shaped by declining trust, technological disruption, changing donor expectations, and increasing pressure to demonstrate meaningful impact. Each of these trends is pulling philanthropies toward the same question.
Why strategy still matters
In my experience of working with philanthropies, a clear sense of direction helps in three ways:
Firstly, it enables greater impact by helping organisations focus their resources on the issues, partnerships and approaches where they can contribute most effectively.
Secondly, strategy creates a framework for decision-making. It helps foundations assess opportunities, allocate resources and remain aligned with their mission rather than being pulled in multiple directions by competing demands.
Thirdly, strategy provides continuity. Leadership changes, boards evolve and external circumstances shift. A strong strategy helps an organisation remain connected to its purpose while adapting to new realities.
However, we have also learned something important: Philanthropy does not hold all the answers.
Those closest to social challenges often have the deepest understanding of what is needed.
We know that doing this effectively is about sharing power, listening differently and supporting communities, local leaders and organisations to shape their own solutions rather than simply funding those designed elsewhere.
This does not mean moving away from strategy. It means developing better strategy. The strongest strategies are not rigid plans that attempt to predict every outcome. They provide a clear direction while allowing organisations to learn, adapt and respond as circumstances change.
When strategy becomes a cage
There is a real risk that strategy becomes an activity, or a cage, rather than a tool for action. I have seen organisations spend enormous time refining plans, consulting stakeholders and revisiting priorities, only to find the process itself has started delaying progress.
Reflection and learning matter, but a strategy must ultimately support action. The organisations making the greatest contribution treat it as something to use, test and evolve, not something to complete and file away.
I believe that strategies need to be ambitious and adaptable, focused but open to learning, and grounded in genuine partnership with the communities they exist to serve. They should show organisations where they are going without limiting their ability to respond when the path changes.
How is your organisation balancing a clear sense of direction with the flexibility to adapt when circumstances shift? Would love to hear from you.
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