The right lens for the right question.

There is no single formula for effective philanthropy.

Some decisions call for rigorous evidence: What works? Where can resources have the greatest impact? What can we learn from the data?

Others require a different lens: Who is closest to the issue? What does the local context tell us? When should funders step back and trust the people doing the work?

These questions reflect different traditions in philanthropy, including Effective Altruism and Trust-Based Philanthropy. I don’t see them as competing philosophies. Each offers useful ideas, and each has limitations.

The key is judgment: knowing which questions to ask, which evidence matters, whose perspective is missing, and which approach makes sense for the situation at hand.

That’s the perspective I bring to my work with clients.

Perspective. Judgment. Impact.