Philanthropy is not defined only by resources but by relationships

A little more than two years ago, I was sitting in a Cambridge lecture hall, learning about philanthropy and reflecting critically on moments when the sector failed to live up to its ideals. Back then, I knew philanthropy mostly through academic critique, such as Michael Edwards’ argument about philanthrocapitalism. It would be an understatement to say I was sceptical that philanthropy could fulfil its purpose, given how often it has been challenged by secrecy, unequal power relations and paternalism.

At few months later, I became a young graduate with little patience for our unfair world and a burning urgency to challenge it. Through an unexpected path, I joined the Volkswagen Slovakia Foundation as Programme Manager for Inclusive Education. The focus was not surprising: inclusive education had been closest to my heart since I was 17. But why would someone so critical of philanthropy choose to work within it?

Looking back, I think I was genuinely curious. I wanted to understand philanthropy from the inside – and whether, despite its contradictions, it could genuinely live up to its name: love for humanity.

Or perhaps I had just listened too much to Brené Brown’s favourite quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts… The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena.” Critical reflection matters, but so does the willingness to engage with complexity in the real world.

So, what have I learned from working in philanthropy in Central Europe over the past two years?

Philanthropy is imperfect, but it can be really useful at times

I did not suddenly come to see philanthropy as a saviour. I still think it is imperfect and, at times, deeply flawed. But I have also seen moments when it can be genuinely useful – particularly when social challenges require urgent responses, public systems are under pressure and civil society organisations are left navigating uncertainty.

In Slovakia, reductions in public funding for non-governmental organisations in 2024 and 2025 were estimated at €15–16 million across human rights, culture, the environment and development aid. For many organisations, this has redirected energy away from their core missions and towards the basic question of survival. In this context, small foundations – including ours – can help organisations continue their work, strengthen resilience and pursue longer-term opportunities to sustain sectors essential to a healthy democracy.

A similar dynamic is visible in healthcare. At our foundation, we receive requests almost daily from individuals and families facing serious health challenges – from single parents to families raising children with disabilities – who are struggling to cover essential costs one would expect insurance to cover. A foundation cannot respond to every individual need, but it can support organisations working towards systemic solutions: stronger legislation.

However, it also takes courage for philanthropy to continuously examine its own power: its priorities, funding decisions and decision-making processes.

Systems change requires trust and long-term partnerships

Long-term partnerships with organisations that understand the systems they are trying to influence are so important.

At the Volkswagen Slovakia Foundation, we call these strategic partnerships. One partner in early childhood development – an organisation which has made a significant contribution to the field — openly shared that it had not achieved some initial short-term goals. The key conversation was not about whether the plan should have been followed, but what the organisation had learned, and how we could support them better.

In the end, we had the courage to agree on something very simple: real systems change rarely follows the original plan; it requires space to learn, adapt and respond to what emerges.

Philanthropy needs learning partnerships, not only funding relationships

Learning partnerships with organisations that bring deep sector knowledge and understand philanthropy’s broader role in the field are invaluable.

A partnership with one of our learning partners in education has really encouraged us to examine assumptions and trends shaping philanthropy, including our strong focus on scaling. These discussions forced us to ask harder questions: when does scaling create real value and when does it erase the local realities that make change possible?

And in that exact moment, I felt genuinely proud. What more can a foundation hope for than partners who feel safe enough to openly challenge donor perspectives? Those conversations did not just stay in the room; they changed how we work, from our application forms to our reporting processes, so they better reflect the realities of organisations working on the ground.

Learning through community: Philea

Philea represents a unique community that combines critical reflection with peer learning. It is a space where philanthropy is encouraged to question itself, examine its assumptions and continue improving.

Through Philea, I have been challenged to think more deeply about concepts frequently used in the sector – such as systems, systems change, and systems change evaluation – and what these ideas mean in practice.

What I value most about Philea is its willingness to acknowledge that philanthropy is imperfect while still believing in its capacity to contribute to a more equitable world: by understanding that philanthropy can never be a finished project – it is a continuous process of learning and improvement.

I am grateful to be a product of this approach. My boss at the Volkswagen Slovakia Foundation, as well as people I have met through Philea, did not wait for me to sound or look like the traditional voice of philanthropy before encouraging my (often critical) questions and treating my perspective as valuable.

After two years in the sector, I am convinced that philanthropy requires both ambition and humility. Its role is not to present itself as THE solution to complex social challenges, but to stay engaged: to resist the comfort of easy answers, share power more honestly and let those closest to the challenges shape what meaningful change should look like.

Ultimately, philanthropy is not defined only by the resources it provides. It is defined by the relationships it builds, the voices it amplifies and its willingness to become better.