By Justin Kiczek 

President

Nothing was coming to me at first. I remember pacing outside, trying to land on two words that could sum it all up. 

It was late in my teaching career, and I was participating in a leadership development program. After several days of case studies, leadership talks, and group breakouts, we were tasked with developing a leadership mantra, a short phrase that we could call on when we needed a burst of inspiration or a reminder of core values. As I grasped for the right words, coming up empty handed every time, I started to think I would have to return to the room and confess I, the teacher, failed the assignment.

Then, in something like a movie moment, a colleague opened the door to the outside and stepped out. And I knew my mantra. And it was just right.

Open doors.

Those two words captured exactly what I wanted to do for my students, opening to them, through literature and writing, new ways of understanding themselves and the world, while entrusting to them the responsibility to decide which door to enter. “Open doors” also captured, for me, what the best educational institutions can do, creating economic opportunity and social mobility — yet requiring the agency of students to determine their destinies. These two words also happened to capture my aspirations, what I hoped to one day do as a school leader for my colleagues and for aspiring teachers.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, I would soon have a new door opened to me, to the world of philanthropy. And when I stepped through that door, forced to learn some new skills, wondering what I brought to the work and if I was cut out for this, I found those two words waiting for me.

Open doors.

At first, I was not sure of the fit. Maybe a new job required a new set of core values, a new mantra. But as I turned the words over in my mind, I found that the “open doors” metaphor served the field of philanthropy just as well, if not better. For far too long, the “doors” of the foundation world were like the massive doors of an English castle: thick, intimidating, and most decidedly closed. On occasion, the door would crack open, a hand would emerge, doling out a grant here or there before fading back and shutting the door with a ringing thud.

With that context in mind, I was delighted to find myself at the F. M. Kirby Foundation, a place that had a different approach. With long-term funding, we built strong relationships with grantees, trying to create space for truthful conversations. Our multiple program areas meant there were many doors upon which a nonprofit could knock. Our organization also had a strong learning culture, where we were committed to professional development and lifelong learning. Finally, given our mission calls on us to “foster self-reliance,” I also loved how we remembered that the individual has to have autonomy and agency; philanthropy and the social sector can open doors, but the respecting the dignity of every person meant ultimately giving them the choice to walk through. It was wonderful to find that the “open doors” framework captured what we aspired to — and gave us the credo that we could continue to draw inspiration from and build upon.

We are still trying to figure this out, and we certainly don’t get it right all the time. I know that, for every door we might open, another prospective grantee might knock and not get an answer. But I would like to share some ways in which this credo shapes our aspirations, in case other funders, leaders, and partners might consider how they too can shift the closed-door perception of philanthropy: 

• Communication is impossible through a closed door. While keeping a low profile can help foundations focus on grantmaking, total opacity means that neither current nor prospective grantees know who you are and what you value. While the IRS might call us a “private foundation,” we exist for a public purpose — and therefore, we can open the door to the public and cast light on our values, our interests, and the amazing work of our grantees. 

• Networks can be as powerful as funding. Funders can’t say yes to every proposal or new project. But that doesn’t mean we have to immediately close the door. With open dialogue, we can share ideas with partners and nonprofits as to other potential funding partners and prospects and make introductions, when appropriate, to others. 

• Build a culture of curiosity and lifelong learning. Curiosity leads us to knock on a door, seeking to learn more. High performing teams have people who are, by nature, curious.  But foundations in particular, which can too easily calcify into smugness and a sense of closed-off expertise, must proactively promote the humility of lifelong learning. We are far better at adapting and meeting needs if we show up to meetings and site visits not with answers but with questions. 

• Create multiple “door-openings” for feedback. The power dynamics of philanthropy make it difficult to get the honest feedback required for doing good better. Building trusted partnerships at least cracks open the door, but foundations can offer multiple portals for honest, anonymous feedback. Our grant portals, our reporting functions, our websites all offer opportunities to learn from grantees as to how we are doing.  

• Open a door. Literally. By creating common ground — whether in our offices or community centers — we can advance the common good. With their wide networks and often disparate funding areas, foundations have tremendous power to create spaces where doors are broken down and cross-pollination occurs. 

This continues to be a work in progress for us, and we learn every day from other foundations we admire and non-profit partners who push us to be better. In 1884, our founder, Fred Morgan Kirby, opened the doors of his first store to the public, winning over customers by building trust. With his vision and gift, we will continue that tradition.