Category: Perspective

At TCC Group, we know how essential it is to support our philanthropic partners in deepening their accountability and trust with communities to sustain lasting impact. Last year, we shared how we designed a Community Listening Tour to accelerate community-driven approaches to ending the HIV epidemic in Puerto Rico, where historical harm has created a … Continued

It’s a New Year with new beginnings. While any time of the year can be the right time to make a change or reimagine your work, the New Year brings a sense of renewal and promise. In this spirit, we propose making this the year you resolve to build bridges, not barriers, for grantees and … Continued

What TCC Group’s Evaluation Team Brought Back from The American Evaluation Association’s Evaluation 2023 Conference 📖 Storytelling and Evaluation Storytelling in evaluation is a powerful way to describe the cause and effect of programs or initiatives. Walking your audience down the path of a programmatic story is an immersive tactic that will lead to a … Continued

While more than $1 trillion in new money for philanthropy has been promised through the Giving Pledge, most of this money remains on the sidelines. Despite the urgency of local, national, and global social and economic challenges, would-be donors have no accessible, trusted, and reliable way to choose with confidence among the many charitable causes, … Continued

For funders considering various mechanisms for broader and deeper levels of engagement with organizations and stakeholders, Learning Communities are a powerful tool. They support the development of trusting and thoughtful relationships, cultivation of allies and supporters on mission-aligned topics, and establishment of credibility and expertise.  On the grantee side, Learning Communities provide pathways to connectivity … Continued

“Gaming brings people together” – Lisa Su, CEO, Advanced Micro Devices This year, I had the unique opportunity to attend GenCon2023, North America’s largest tabletop game convention. With an estimated attendance surpassing 70,000, this year’s event gathered game designers, developers, distributors, and enthusiasts in Indianapolis. Over several days, attendees shared, tried out, and reveled in … Continued

“Games aren’t just filler in education. They have the ability to introduce, reinforce, or even assess learning of a given topic.” – Kara Carrero Games are fun. But what if we told you that we think that games can be so much more? What if games could not only teach, but evoke empathy, and drive … Continued

Stories are the most powerful tools we have to connect with others, be remembered, and inspire action.[1] A single story can create empathy, challenge beliefs, and change hearts and minds. From Aesop’s Fables to Biblical parables, stories are often embedded with “lessons” about the way the world works, and teach us from a young age … Continued

The only way to understand what a community really needs is to ask them, listen carefully to what they say, and show up authentically every step of the way.  At TCC Group, we name this deep listening, and it guides the relationships we have built and sustained with communities across the country over the years. Deep … Continued

“You have little power over what’s not yours” – Zimbabwean proverb  As evaluators we’re often brought in to assess the success of programs that are implemented in vastly different cultural contexts. So, to ensure that our evaluation is relevant, effective, and useful – how do we integrate the individuals closest to and most affected by … Continued

National funders have long sought ways to make positive social change happen in local communities. However, for some of these funders, place-based philanthropy encompasses pre-determined strategies, directive relationships with community “partners,” and strict accountability measures allowing little or no space to accommodate the particularities of local contexts. The all too frequent outcome of this type … Continued

Place-based work has been an essential cornerstone of investing since philanthropy’s inception; it allows funders to address the unique issues and needs of a specific geographic area or community.  It involves directing resources toward community organizations, initiatives, and projects to create positive social impact and improve the health of a specific area or region. While … Continued

The following article was originally published in Stanford Social Innovation Review as part of their “Recognizing Leadership in All Its Forms” series. To read the article in its entirety visit SSIR with your subscription information or download a PDF. The social sector generally considers leadership development a good investment, especially when it comes to cultivating systems-level change. But … Continued