Resi­li­ence as the key to success

Dear reader,

The world is topsy-turvy at the moment. One crisis after another. With little pros­pect that the situa­tion will improve. We need resi­li­ence on every level – as indi­vi­du­als and as a society, in busi­ness and in inter­na­tio­nal colla­bo­ra­tion, and within our planet’s ecosystem. 

Resi­li­ence is the invi­si­ble force that empowers us to act with fore­sight, anti­ci­pate crises and over­come them. It’s about looking fearlessly to the future and accep­ting the risks that may be waiting ahead. And wanting to take action to shape the future, change the present and prepare for poten­tial crisis situa­tions in the process. 

Where does the phil­an­thro­pic sector come in? 

Louise Pulford, CEO of the globally active Social Inno­va­tion Exch­ange (SIX), wants to see the sector play­ing a much more active role. It should leave its comfort zone and make the most of all the room for mano­eu­vre given the readily available capi­tal, the networks and the skills ready to be drawn on. Thin­king bigger, being flexi­ble, brea­king down barriers and buil­ding bridges. All while stay­ing modest if we follow Roger de Weck’s lead in our interview.

This issue of The Philanthropist shows just how much foun­da­ti­ons and NPOs are alre­ady doing to ensure that our society is more resi­li­ent in the future. From the Salva­tion Army with its coll­ec­tion tins to Stif­tung Merca­tor Schweiz and its support for a colla­bo­ra­tive project called newstest.ch that allows each of us to check our own media liter­acy level. Are you resi­li­ent when it comes to fake news? 

On a perso­nal note, we want to take this oppor­tu­nity to wish you a fanta­stic festive season. And happy reading – we hope you can take away plenty of inspi­ra­tion from this issue to improve your own resilience.

The Philanthropist team