Idana Goldberg
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“Why is a crooked letter.”
This has always been my father’s wry response to a parent’s least favorite word, uttered in the tired whiny voice of a toddler or the insistent tone of an adolescent. But long before Simon Sinek became famous for encouraging nonprofit and business leaders alike to “Start with Why,” the importance of asking questions was embedded in Jewish tradition...
Over the past five years as I studied Daf Yomi, I have been repeatedly struck by how these ancient texts illuminate contemporary challenges; in this case, how the Talmudic guidelines mirror one of philanthropy's most essential practices — the art of asking questions. When aspiring professionals ask me about necessary competencies for foundation work, they often expect me to emphasize financial acumen or strategic planning. While these matter, I consistently return something more fundamental: the ability to ask the right questions.
No foundation has unlimited resources, so smart, strategic funding choices maximize the value and impact of our grants, and we’re able to make those choices when we ask the right questions. The first question, to paraphrase Sinek, is always “Why?” I tell our team at The Russell Berrie Foundation that we need to answer three essential whys: Why them? Why us? Why now?
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We mustn’t use questions to avoid the hard work of research and analysis, or of actually listening to the answers. Good questions come from understanding the context, history, and what you’re trying to achieve — whether as a grantee or a grantmaker. In philanthropy, our most insightful questions often come after studying an issue, understanding the landscape, and grappling with the complexities of creating meaningful change. In conflict, breakthroughs emerge when questions create space for reflection, exploration and discovery. Questions emerge from knowledge, not in place of it, and are meaningless if you don’t open yourself to the possibility of hearing something unexpected in the answers.
I’m pleased to share these excerpts from my first contribution to eJewishPhilanthropy’s 501(c)Suite opinion column. I hope you will read the full piece on how the essential art of asking questions drives the work of philanthropy and helps funders be strong partners to organizations that are answering with solutions. I welcome your reactions.