November Notes on Change From

Dear First name / friend,

 

As we’re closing out the fall season and about to start a new year, I’m thinking a lot about facing our future.

 

I envied my classmates who seemed like they had it all figured out. The pre-med students, the human rights lawyers, the teachers. Folks who heard and heeded a calling, who saw their futures vividly, and knew what steps to take to get there. My own path was more roundabout: I hear my calling clearly now, and I couldn’t be more grateful, but there were times when the uncertainty and doubt were almost paralyzing.

 

I know that some wealth holders feel the same way about their philanthropy. Maybe it’s easy to respond to urgent calls for giving in moments of crisis, but devising a long-term strategy is elusive. Maybe they’re drawn to an issue area that’s powerful at first but feels off the mark over time. Maybe their future seems hazy, or any path forward is murky.

 

At Bold Ventures, we often work with donors and families who say they are overwhelmed by trying to shape their capital into a liberatory resource that serves historically marginalized communities. Some have yet to find their philanthropic calling. Others need help seeing the right pathways to the future they want to help realize. I know from experience that no one should have to go it alone.

 

Thankfully, no one does. Others have been down this road. Others are on this journey, too.

 

What if you could see yourself in a liberated, perfect future? Envision a world in which your dreams for building power, redistributing capital, and forging a resilient community are tangible and alive?

 

We want you to see this future, and we want you to know the path to it is possible to take. Like any ambitious path forward, this one will include new and transformed relationships, decisions and risks, and opportunities that you can and should design for.

 

With that in mind, I’m working with the team at Bold Ventures to develop a Future Perfect framework, a set of tools and workshops that enable our clients to forecast a bright, bold future and illuminate what it takes to get there. As we think about that challenge and head into the holiday season, we want to hear from you: What does your vision of a liberated, joyful future include? When we get there, looking back, what will we notice has happened along the way? What will have changed to get you and your community there? Which callings will you have answered, and which paths will we all have taken?

Starting Points for Finding Your Future Perfect

You might recall from English class that the future perfect is a verb tense: It’s the one we use to talk about a past that is set in the future—how we say what will have been. For the team at Bold Ventures, it’s also how we help clients envision a more perfect future and the steps required to get there. 

 

By diving deep on such questions, clearly articulating visions of a more perfect future, and spelling out the steps that will have happened to reach that future, we aim to help clients find the right pathways to more powerful, meaningful, and reparative forms of philanthropic practice.

 

How do you think about the future? What resources and tools do you rely on? Check in with Aubrey if you’re curious about our Future Perfect approach.

Learn About Reparative Philanthropy at Bold Ventures

At Bold Ventures, we're committed to working with our clients, community partners, and colleagues across the philanthropic sector to advance reparative philanthropy and help build a broad culture of repair. But what does that actually mean? And how did we get here?

 

For more, check out our new four video series in which our founder, Jessyca Dudley, explains our journey toward reparative philanthropy and what it means for our work. 

Where We've Been

The thoughtful and creative team at Libertroph Magazine has issued a call for submissions for their next issue, featuring art and writings on the concept of “Lineage.” We love what the editors and contributors are saying about white anti-racist movement and organizing.