The Power to Dream and Create is a Power Like No Other

New Era of Philanthropy Community of Practice, Learning in Public Blog Series

This blog series captures reflections and lessons learned by the Equity-Centered Philanthropy (ECP) team at MDC, Inc. Written in a casual, conversational style by ECP staff, the series is also shaped and inspired by collective dialogue and shared learning with participants in the New Era of Philanthropy Community of Practice.

Those of us who have devoted our lives to growing equity and social justice in the world are all too familiar with the burdens of being in constant reactive/response mode: to never-ending injustices, oppression and power imbalances.  So much of our life’s energy is exhausted in reacting to the whims and desires of the power-hoarders in our society, whose agendas often exclude the folks we care deeply about.  

But have you ever experienced the magnificent and exhilarating feeling of seeing an idea come to fruition?  Are you familiar with the unique set of emotions that come from envisioning something, doing all the hard work of planning and refinement, to eventually witness a daydream becoming reality?  The power to dream and create is a power like no other.  It serves as a visceral reminder of our inherent dignity and worthiness.  It is part of the foundation of the work we are co-creating at MDC via the New Era of Philanthropy Community of Practice. 

The design work for this iteration of the program began in earnest in the late spring of 2025.  We had been knee-deep in developing the next evolution of MDCs philanthropy-focused work, previously known as Passing Gear Philanthropy and subsequently, Passing Gear Philanthropy Institute. As if through divine intervention, during this time we were gifted the freshly published book by Dimple Abichandani A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth into a More Just and Sustainable Future. 

Through the power of relationships, we connected with Dimple directly.  Her written voice matched her living voice so beautifully.  There was authenticity, warmth, and curiosity.  There was alignment in our dreams for what this book could spark in the US South and beyond.  Dimple understood the importance of acknowledging our past in order to move towards the future. These initial conversations were the seeds for what would eventually become our community of practice. When we invited Dimple to explore the possibility becoming MDC’s first “practitioner in residence” her response was a resounding YES! 

Eight months, and many hours of planning later, we were hosting the public launch of this work via a webinar on February 12th with 80+ attendees from a range of Southern communities entitled, “Are We Ready for A New Era of Philanthropy in the US South?”. This webinar featured Dimple Abichandani and David Dodson (MDC’s former president). Attendees were invited to explore perspectives and approaches to philanthropy, contextualize philanthropy from a Southern perspective, and explore what a new era could look like. 

The webinar was followed by two in-person events: 

• A sold-out & successful book convening on April 1st, at The Durham Hotel featuring Dimple Abichandani. Dimple’s presentation inspired an invigorating fishbowl exercise that brought in the voices and perspectives of leaders in attendance. Quotables: “Spending toward purpose, not perpetuity.” and “Southern philanthropy is ripe for disruption.”
• In-Person Convening of the New Era of Philanthropy Community of Practice on April 2nd at Earthseed Land Collective. This was the first of 3 in-person convenings that will also include virtual gatherings. In addition to Dimple Abichandani as the Practitioner in Residence, this work is also supported by somatics coach, Alta Starr and 12 women representing various types of philanthropic organizations, practitioners, and consultants. The first convening included: embodiment practices and an exercise in writing a new story for Southern philanthropy.  Quotables: “A relaxed body is a powerful body.” and “We get to choose what stories we carry forward.”

We are grateful for the seed funding provided for this project from Foundation for a Just Society that made this idea manifestation possible.  Our next blog entry will reflect on the experiences of the 1st in-person convening.