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đź“… Join the next one.We are deeply moved to share insights from an extraordinary dialogue between Lucy Bernholz and Gerry Salole on the launch of Blueprint 2025. This conversation couldn’t be more timely as we face unprecedented challenges to democracy worldwide. You can watch the recording on our YouTube channel. Follow us on LinkedIn to receive future dialogue invitations.
The United States stands at a critical juncture where democratic institutions face unprecedented challenges from increasingly sophisticated authoritarian forces.
“49.1% of American voters voted for Trump. 48.3% of American voters voted for Harris… There was no landslide, there was no mandate. This is not a 4-year transitional administration… That’s not what they want, and we can’t see it that way. … There is a movement called the accelerationist movement [it’s a buzzword, look it up]. I strongly suggest you look into this, it’s truly horrifying, but they’re heading toward monarchy. That’s what they want. They want strong man leadership, because they see the same planetary disasters we do, and they see the same strength in numbers of the masses and control possibilities of the few. There’s an ideology behind this. There are armed militants behind this… and now they have taken they have people in power in the White House in Washington.” Lucy Bernholz
Lucy recommended everyone read the 12 Core Elements of the Logic of International Relations from Stephen Heintz’ paper The Logic for the Future (see page 7). Asked for his thoughts Stephen responded:
“This is really an important piece of work… I am in trepidation about what may occur, starting on Monday, and I don’t think we’re well prepared for it in philanthropy or civil society ……… We think we saw this movie before, but in fact, it’s going to be an entirely new movie… in the last iteration of this movie, the director was inexperienced, incompetent and unwise to the ways of political power. In the four-year interregnum, he has become wise to all of those things. … There will be no adults in the room when fateful decisions are made.” Stephen Heintz
The challenges to democracy extends far beyond U.S. borders, with coordinated efforts to undermine democratic institutions worldwide.
“The shrinking civic space globally should be our greatest concern as civil society. The African context is a classic example of the rise of authoritarian regimes vis a vis the rise of youth consciousness on leadership and governance in the continent.” Garang Mzalendo
The current threats to democracy represent the culmination of decades of coordinated organising by anti-democratic forces, combining long-term strategic planning with new technological and financial tools to consolidate power and wealth.
“The right has been organising since 1938’s good society symposium… they foresaw the collapse of society. And the only people that would survive would be sovereign individuals. … “I had the privilege of interviewing Norm Chomsky in 1994 and he said to me, the world oligarchs are organising a slave society where they rule and we all serve. And I walked out of that room thinking he was barmy, but I’m afraid he was right.” Barry Knight
Our complete dependence on privately-owned digital infrastructure creates fundamental vulnerabilities for civil society and democratic action.
“We have to design our protests… We have to design our … whatever the nonprofit form of the 21st century is going to be… so that the individuals who are choosing to take that collective action control those things. …. Our organisations are files in their filing cabinets, and our lives are files in their file cabinets. And so, we must build outside of that, we must organise outside of that, around it.” Lucy Bernholz
Traditional institutions and systems are proving inadequate to address current challenges.
“Philanthropy is not actually making the changes writ large that need to be made… those of us who have power don’t give it up easily.” Nina Blackwell
“Civil society writ large (or at least the part I constantly whack up against) is extraordinary complacent, but also paralysed by fear, or the conservatism of hoping their particular org or foundation continues to exist. So, keep your head down, ride it out, missing the existential nature of the problems facing us, etc. and I can’t figure out how to get people to pay attention to the scale” Alan Smith
“I suppose I’ve always been within philanthropy, within a tradition of being in perpetual dissent. I’ve always thought that that’s the place that philanthropy needs to be, but even more so now and that dissent really needs to be.” Stephen Pittam
“Philanthropy professionals talk a good game, but we don’t play a good game. We want to be the refs and the players and the coaches and the owners and the audience.” Lucy Bernholz
“The white people with financial resources on this phone call do not need to start these things. We need to build the relationships, build the trust, put our own selves very uncomfortable and either get out of the way or stand behind and follow a very different kind of leadership.” Lucy Bernholz
“Paradigm shift comes when the younger generation is fully engaged… trans generational transmission is critical going forward. Otherwise, the change we dream of isn’t going to happen.” Akwasi Aidoo
As global democracy faces its greatest challenge in generations, with authoritarian forces growing in sophistication and coordination, civil society must fundamentally reimagine its role and methods of resistance. The conversation revealed pathways forward through transformation, relationship building, and genuine power sharing.
At the heart of effective resistance lies the need to fundamentally reshape how power flows within civil society, moving from institutional control to genuine community leadership.
“Our power as white, privileged people is to hold ourselves to account and be deeply brave about it.” Nina Blackwell
In a world where digital systems owned by oligarchs control our daily lives, we must create and support independent infrastructure that serves democratic values and community needs.
“Isn’t civil society my neighbour, isn’t the civil society the people I connect to… It is connecting not only the like-minded, but practices, experiences, understanding and bringing that together.” Louis Klein
The energy, insight, and digital fluency of young people represents our greatest hope for transformative change, requiring older generations to step back and provide support without control.
“The learning has to flip. It’s the olds, such as myself… who need to be in the listening position and the resourcing position.” Lucy Bernholz
The fundamental strength of civil society lies not in formal institutions but in the deep relationships and mutual support systems that communities build for survival and thriving.
“Caring for your neighbour and building a system that keeps you housed and fed and sheltered and safe is a human habit that some of us have been able to offload over centuries, and some of us have had to work hard to build every day of our lives.” Lucy Bernholz
Professional civil society organisations must undergo profound transformation, moving from preservation of institutional power to genuine service of movement needs.
On action needed: “We have the resources we are rich. We have philanthropy, we have civil society, we have capacities, intellectual, moral, relational. We need to step forward… Let’s actually organise across continents… Let’s actually activate ourselves. Let us stop funding damn silly projects in short life bursts that really don’t have any effect.” Barry Knight
“We understand more and more that we need to work collectively, that we need to understand ourselves as an ecosystem… these questions are being answered, asked, and we must continue to do that.” Eva Rehse
In the face of sophisticated authoritarian coordination, resistance requires both strategic clarity and tactical flexibility, building power at multiple levels simultaneously.
“We have to now put on the front foot… Let’s have a working group. Let’s actually organise across continents. We have the institutions. We have capacities, intellectual, moral, relational. We need to step forward. This is a moment to stand up.” Barry Knight
“We need to have some new thinking, particularly around philanthropy….” Stephen Pittam
“Let’s organise, not agonise. Freedom is like taking a bath, you’ve got to keep taking it every day. If we want to change the Suits, we must start on the streets. Also, as a philanthropy professional, I go by this action call by Rev. Martin Luther King: “Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.” Akwasi Aidoo
Strategy wise there seems to be a need to bring together Barry’s point on organising a new narrative, with Lucy’s point on building trust/ finding a new role and networks and Akwasi’s point on intergenerational exchange/ hand overs to the younger generation. So, what can that melange look like? Seem to be a critical question regard a way forward. Susan Wilkinson
The foundation of effective resistance lies in authentic relationships and earned trust, requiring patience, humility, and consistent commitment over time.
True power sharing requires more than consultation or representation – it demands genuine transfer of control over resources and decision-making.
Resisting authoritarianism requires sustained engagement and investment in relationship building, infrastructure development, and movement support.
With significant resources but problematic power dynamics, philanthropy must transform itself to effectively support resistance movements.
Those working within formal civil society must bridge the gap between institutional resources and community needs through authentic relationship building.
Local organisations, often closest to both needs and solutions, must strengthen their networks while maintaining independence.
Those with privilege must move beyond guilt or simple allyship to active redistribution of power and resources.
As we face a critical juncture in human history, with democracy under sophisticated attack and planet-scale challenges looming, the transformation of civil society has become an urgent necessity. Success depends not on creating new systems but on:
The time for incremental change has passed. Civil society must transform itself to effectively resist rising authoritarianism and build genuine democratic alternatives.
“If you’ve done it before, then whatever your new idea is, it’s not new. If you’ve done it before, it’s not new. You did it already, right? It didn’t work.” Lucy Bernholz
“Ultra” by Rachel Maddow (podcast recommended by Heather Lord as “Essential listen to prep for this moment”)
“The Banker Ladies” by Caroline Hossein (film about alternative financial systems) (Links below)
Lucy specifically recommended researching:
For over a decade and a half, Blueprint has been the philanthropic sector’s most anticipated annual publication—a critical compass guiding social innovation and strategic giving. Developed by Dr. Lucy Bernholz, a renowned Senior Research Scholar at Stanford’s Centre on Philanthropy and Civil Society, this publication has become an indispensable resource for philanthropic leaders, policymakers, and social change agents.
Since its inception, Blueprint has:
Each year, the publication has been remarkably prescient. It has:
In 2025, we face unprecedented global challenges:
Blueprint doesn’t just describe these challenges—it provides a roadmap for action.
With 15 years of consistently groundbreaking analysis, Dr. Bernholz has established Blueprint as more than a publication—it’s a strategic foresight tool. Her work bridges academic rigour with practical insights, challenging philanthropic sectors to reimagine their potential. “We’ve argued that foundations need change,” Dr. Bernholz notes, “and perhaps it takes a calamity to spark true transformation. That calamity is here.”