Emergence and Evolution: Pivoting Internal Culture Amidst Crisis

In a year of massive change and rupture, our internal cultures and practices had to radically pivot to adapt. From creating fully virtual workplaces to holding space for processing anti-Black racism, to accommodating the needs of working families, the internal workings of philanthropy look about as different as its grantmaking. That said, massive pivots do not necessarily guarantee more inclusive and equitable practices. Drawing on the 2018 Dissonance and Disconnects Report published by Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and our members’ experiences from 2020 onward, this session will examine how philanthropy can mobilize this moment of rupture to implement organizational practices that disrupt white dominant cultural norms. Some key questions of discussion include: What adaptations worked well? What have we learned from disability justice communities that inform our adaptations? What assumptions did we have about the culture of work that have been disproved? What would a workplace culture that truly supported its early- and mid-career professionals look like? Join EPIP for a roundtable featuring chapter leaders and EPIP staff for a candid conversation about ways to create more equitable communities, starting in our own organizations.