From Donors to Partners: Rethinking Power and Trust in Philanthropy

​The traditional donor-beneficiary model is no longer fit for purpose. As the world grapples with complex, interconnected crises, the need for equitable, trust-based partnerships between funders and changemakers has never been more urgent. This session invites a candid conversation about how to shift donor dynamics toward stakeholdership, shared risk, and systems-level impact.

​We’ll explore how philanthropy can move beyond short-term, project-based giving to support holistic, scalable, and locally led solutions, and how early-stage relationships can be built on mutual trust and transparency—not bureaucracy or hierarchy. We’ll also challenge long-standing practices like donor trips and "pilot" obsession, asking how they can be reimagined as tools for learning, humility, and genuine collaboration rather than reinforcing power imbalances.

​Key Questions:

• ​How can we redefine the donor-doer relationship as one of mutual stakeholdership rather than top-down support?

• ​What does it look like to build shared language and frameworks around risk, accountability, and success?

• ​How can we ensure resources go to the most effective, often underfunded, changemakers, not just the best-resourced ones?

• ​What needs to change about how we design donor engagement experiences to make them ethical and transformational?

• ​How can philanthropy enable systems change by investing in trust, relationships, and long-term capacity—not just outputs?

​This session is designed for funders, frontline leaders, and ecosystem builders who want to build a philanthropic culture that is more inclusive, transparent, and committed to real transformation—not just shifting money, but shifting mindsets.

​Session Co-Leaders:

• ​Caroline Burrage directs STEP at TechSoup, advancing global networks for civil society and philanthropy.

• ​James Kitt directs development at Beyond Water, scaling access to clean water in Malawi.

• ​Murendeni Mafumo runs Kusini Water, delivering sustainable, decentralized clean water solutions across Southern Africa.