Evolution of Philanthropy Developmental Systems Map
This developmental systems mapping project illuminates philanthropy’s evolution toward a more sophisticated understanding of social change and transformation. This map attempts to demonstrate how the field has moved through three distinct paradigms: Strategic Philanthropy, which brought professional rigor and outcome-focused methodologies to the sector; Empowerment Philanthropy, which centered community wisdom and recognized the importance of addressing systemic power imbalances; and now the emergence of Integrative Philanthropy, which builds upon these foundations while introducing a holistic and developmental understanding of how complex systems actually evolve and transform.
This evolution comes at a critical moment when philanthropy faces increasingly complex challenges – from climate change to systemic inequality to democratic decline – that resist both strategic reductionism and mono-causal explanations. While Strategic Philanthropy’s emphasis on measurable outcomes and evidence-based practice brought essential discipline to the field, its linear and deterministic approaches proved inadequate for addressing complex systemic challenges. Similarly, while Empowerment Philanthropy rightfully recognized the need for systemic change, its tendency to reduce all social problems to single root causes (particularly power dynamics and structural racism) limited its effectiveness in catalyzing genuine transformation.
This map suggests how philanthropy might evolve beyond these limitations through an integrative developmental systems approach. This new paradigm maintains Strategic Philanthropy’s commitment to rigorous methodology and measurable impact while incorporating Empowerment Philanthropy’s recognition of systemic dynamics and power structures. However, it adds a sophisticated understanding of how complex systems actually evolve and transform – not through either top-down strategic interventions that impose predetermined solutions, nor through exclusively bottom-up empowerment that assumes local wisdom alone can address systemic challenges, but through carefully calibrated efforts that integrate multiple forms of knowledge and action while working with natural developmental processes.
By illuminating this evolution across multiple dimensions – from vision and practices to strategy and culture – this framework shows how philanthropic organizations can develop more sophisticated capabilities for catalyzing systemic change. This includes the ability to work with multiple causal factors simultaneously, to recognize and support natural developmental processes, and to maintain strategic coherence while embracing emergence and complexity. The result is a more transformational approach to philanthropy that can better address the interconnected and multifaceted challenges of our time while avoiding the reductionism of previous paradigms.
Navigating This Map
If you mouse over any item on the map, it will display a pop up window with a basic description of that element. If you click on any element of the map, it will open up a pane on the right with a more detailed description of that element.
What Is A “Developmental Systems Map?”
A developmental systems map advances beyond traditional systems mapping in several crucial ways. While conventional systems maps capture interconnections and feedback loops flattened to a single level, developmental systems maps reveal how systems evolve through discernible patterns of increasing complexity and integration. This evolutionary lens illuminates not just how systems change, but how they develop toward greater sophistication or occasionally regress and fragment.
What distinguishes this approach is its recognition that reality itself is stratified – organized in layers of emergent complexity that each follow their own developmental logics while remaining interconnected. By drawing on integrative metatheory, we can understand these distinct layers of reality and the different ways of knowing appropriate to each. This allows us to move beyond seeing systems as merely complicated networks of relationships to understanding them as evolving holarchies – nested hierarchies where each new level transcends and includes what came before.
This framework also transforms how we understand different worldviews and approaches to social change. Rather than treating these as arbitrary or merely alternative perspectives, it recognizes them as expressions of distinct developmental epistemological stages, each offering valid but partial views of an infinitely complex reality. These perspectives evolve through discernible dialectical patterns – cycles of differentiation, opposition, and integration that move toward increasingly comprehensive and sophisticated ways of seeing and acting in the world.
This developmental understanding has profound implications for philanthropy. It helps us see how different philanthropic paradigms – from strategic to empowerment to integrative approaches – represent an evolution toward increasingly nuanced ways of understanding and catalyzing social change. Each stage builds upon and includes the insights of previous stages while transcending their limitations. By mapping these developmental trajectories, this framework helps philanthropic organizations understand their current position, identify opportunities for growth, and work more effectively with the natural evolutionary processes of social systems.
If you are interested in discussing this map further or exploring how your philanthropic organization might benefit from a more integrative approach, please contact Josh Leonard at josh@joshleonard.org