Learning to love
“failure”
Who are we?
• Jessica Middleton -BBC Children in Need and
WCMT Fellow
• Lesleyann Russell- BBC Children in Need
Today’s workshop will :
• Look at examples from North America
• Provide insight into how BBC Children in Need is
building a culture open to failure
• Make time for discussion and examination of the
issue together
“In philanthropy, we are working each day to make
the world a more open, inclusive, and participatory
place. A place where marginalised voices are heard
and smart solutions that work rise to the top. But, we
have lagged behind in modelling the behaviour we
want to see in the rest of society. With some notable
exceptions, the way we as philanthropic institutions
currently engage is not only inconsistent with our
current values, but also behind the times in which we
live”.
Shauna Nep, The Goldhirsh Foundation
Embracing ”Failure”
What?
• Key topic in North American funding
• Complex
• A process
• Tenet of transparency
Why?
• Failure is an important and underused resource
• Contributes to quality implementation, innovation and
improved governance and transparency
• Sharing and reflecting on failure can improve capacity
to anticipate, learn and adapt.
“Fear, embarrassment, and intolerance of
failure drives our learning underground
and hinders innovation. No more. Failure
is strength. The most effective and
innovative organizations are those that
are willing to speak openly about their
failures because the only truly ‘bad’
failure is one that’s repeated”
www.admittingfailure.org
Recommendations
Put failure on the agenda
Have a culture open to self-reflection and critique
Ensure that the issue is embedded and part of regular
review and evaluation
Manage failure with grantees sensitively, understand the
reputational risks
Share learning – publically/with grantees/peers
Tianjin
August 2015
Building Trust
Fruitful Discussions
Lemons – What is the worst grant you've made in the last 2 years?
Bananas – What trips you up when you are managing grants?
Kiwi – What has come out of left field and caused failure?
Tangerines – What are your easy peeling tips for learning from
failed grants?