Focusing on “Them,” Not “Us”: Impressions from the RIST Grantee Convening
By Alex Counts
One of the privileges of working in philanthropy at a senior level is being able to attend the invitation-only conferences held by foundations for their grantees. The opportunity to deepen a philanthropic partnership through getting to know the staff and the benefactor of a foundation is often significant, as is the chance to form relationships with other grantees.
I have been to quite a few of these convenings over the years, the most recent being one organized by the Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST) which has been the lead sponsor of India Giving Day from its inception. This gathering took place October 19-20 in New York, and it was better than most I had been to in terms of the format and the learning and networking opportunities it gave me as the part-time Executive Director of IPA.
One of the special treats of the experience was sitting a few feet away from Manoj Bhargava, the creator of the ubiquitous 5 Hour Energy drink and RIST’s main benefactor, when he addressed the participants during the opening dinner. He spoke without notes or a script, and he shared some important and unusual ideas in a heartfelt way.
The points he touched on echo some of those that I had articulated in my recent article on good philanthropy practices, but he did so in his own unique style forged through his many successes (and presumably a few failures) in business and philanthropy. I took notes on the menu they had given and will share my impressions from his remarks below.
He began by noting that some of what we call philanthropy is actually directed at benefiting wealthy organizations and people, including much of the giving to higher education. In contrast, he described his goal as positively impacting the lives of disadvantaged people. He further defined his roles in achieving that objective: making more money and inventing things that have a positive impact on the world.
He then identified an important but often neglected issue that he is focused on: access to water. He said he had been studying that issue for the last 12 years, which indicated to me that he is a true student of philanthropy and the issues he tackles. He noted an innovation that he was excited about that could turn very polluted water into something that was safer than most bottled water.
He added that it is so often the case that people complain about societal problems and assert that “they” must fix it, which might represent a company or a government. He said that his very different approach is to take charge and say that “we”—instead of “they”—are in fact responsible for addressing it. In that sense, he believes that creating a sense of agency among civil society and philanthropists is important. He is committed to advancing that perspective through leading by example.
He went on to talk about several of the convenings he has participated in where very wealthy people involved in philanthropy gather to discuss priorities, practices, and ideas. He described one instance where a leading donor was asked what should guide a philanthropist, and the answer was something along the lines of, “Follow your passions.” After a lot of head-nodding, Bhargava decided to speak up and register his dissent. In essence, he said that philanthropy should not be donor-centric but beneficiary-centric; in other words, he said “it is not about you, but about them.” I found this perspective refreshing, and admire his willingness to challenge very wealthy and powerful people in a group setting. As it happened, the philanthropist whom he challenged came up to him afterwards and complimented him on what he said.
He then described what he calls an “attitude of service” and “intelligent giving.” He emphasized that rather than search for new shiny objects—what he amusingly called “fancy pants ideas”—his emphasis is on identifying what already works and scaling those success stories up. He added that he avoided things that merely seemed “fashionable” and focused instead on those things that were demonstrated to be “effective at improving the lives of those who need it most.”
At the core of his philanthropy is avoiding the trap of overthinking what to donate to. Furthermore, he prefers to start with the needs of vulnerable people and ecosystems rather than focus on his own needs, whether they be emotional gratification, being recognized as being on the cutting edge, or satisfying his own intellectual curiosity. His commitment to being need or cause-centric, rather than self-centered, was deeply refreshing and resonated with the grantees in attendance. This was especially true because his foundation and its leaders operate consistently with these ideas in their partnerships with grantees.
Overall, it was a stimulating and beneficial experience, especially insofar as I now understand better what makes Manoj Bhargava tick, and how his worldview has shaped the work of a major supporter of IPA and several other organizations that are represented on our board, such as AIF, Arogya World, and the WISH Foundation.