Leadership
Introducing Philanthropy University 2.0
Iteration is at the heart of any quality product. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, only those that adapt, learn and improve will stay relevant to customers.
Connor Diemand-Yauman
CEO and co-founder of Philanthropy University where he oversees all of the organization’s activities.
January 4, 2018Success at scale
Since our 2015 launch, Philanthropy University’s seven foundational courses have attracted more than 220,000 learners from over 180 countries. Through our partnership with UC Berkeley, hundreds of learners have earned the free Certificate in Social Sector Leadership from Berkeley-Haas. We’re proud of and humbled by what we and our learners have achieved to date. Philanthropy University set out to help people achieve social good, and the success stories from our learners have been nothing short of inspiring.
What’s Next?
Last month we announced exciting plans to deepen our focus on the needs of Southern locally-led non-profit organizations. Aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, our work will focus on providing civil society organizations with the training, support, and resources they need to execute on mission and achieve their goals. We believe that these organizations are best placed to deliver services, improve the lives of those they serve, and offer lasting solutions grounded in the context of their communities.
Core to this refocus is a desire to increase organizational effectiveness so that local organizations can achieve higher impact and long-term sustainability. By investing in the development of organizational infrastructure, through human resources, fundraising, and change management for example, organizations are stronger and better positioned to respond to the critical issues in their communities.
To support this process, we are committed to building best-in-class learning experiences that teach the skills and competencies our learners need to thrive, creating dynamic community spaces for the sharing of best practices, and providing paths to financial resources. Through this combination of courses, community, and access to capital, Philanthropy University will help measurably improve 5,000 local organizations in the Global South, enabling them to more effectively improve the lives of the people they serve.
A Brief Pause
To get all of this right, we plan to pause operations to allow us time to build a new learning platform and relevant courses that will address the unique needs of our target learners. As a result, access to all course content will come to a close on June 30, 2017, at the end of the current Philanthropy University session. Learners will be unable to access current courses beyond this date. While we are building this new learning platform, and as part of the process of improving our product to better serve our users, we will be exploring partnership opportunities with leaders from the development sector. These partnerships will allow us to better understand the sector, produce a more relevant and appropriate platform, and ensure our courses reflect the needs of our learners.
Stay Tuned
We are so excited by what’s to come. And we couldn’t have got here without the dedication and hard work of our learners. Over the coming weeks and months, we will keep you updated with news and developments as they unfold. Although we won’t be running any more sessions for the time being, we will continue posting articles and blogs on our website, as well as connecting with learners through newsletters. You can also stay in touch by following us on Facebook and Twitter. The iteration continues, and we thank you for being part of our journey!
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