New year, new solutions?

Last week, Nonprofit Quarterly compiled a list of the seven most important civil society trends it saw in 2018, including a turn away from “the halos of philanthropy” and a shift toward confronting barriers to equity and justice within the sector itself. (Local funders have been thinking about that word “equity” a lot recently, too.)

Then on Wednesday, the national news publication also published its predictions, or “DIY vision,” for 2019 — DIY because it’s the nonprofit, philanthropic and civic pros who are charged with making the changes.

“In our opinion, it’s there that social corners were turned last year, and where we must push ourselves in the year to come, building power and influence and credibility for a newly balanced, just, and sustainable future,” NPQ’s editor’s wrote.

Here’s what they envision for 2019:

1. Legislative work groups focusing on strategies to solve truly wicked problems
2. More democratically run local economies (with more co-ops, perhaps?)
3. Bold confrontation of white supremacy via a real commitment to organizational diversity
4. Young people in leadership roles (psst, check out February’s editorial calendar theme)
5. Plans to mitigate the destruction of inevitable natural disasters
6. Collaboration!
7. Consideration of, er, whether we should really be celebrating the super-rich givers of the world
8. A robust discussion of the question, “How do white leaders in the nonprofit sector use white space approaches to addressing public space as white space?” (Oof.)

What do you think? Is this bold, truly equitable vision for the social impact sector possible for the Greater Philadelphia region?

While your mindset is future-focused, consider these other golden reads on changing social impact economies for the better:

• TechGirlz founder Tracey Welson-Rossman wrote about tech training, investing and other ways women can upend the wage gap for Technical.ly Philly
• Generocity columnist Tivoni Devor suggested a handful of 2019 resolutions for nonprofits, foundations and donors