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Philanthropy Wired March 2026

Post author By Philanthropy Wired
Post date March 31, 2026

The Integrity of the Collective: What “Kapwa” Can Teach the Western Boardroom

Craig Morris, Senior Associate, S. Sutton & Assciates Inc.

From my current vantage point in the Philippines, looking back at a thirty-year career in the American nonprofit sector—from the streets of Chicago to national STEM initiatives—the distance provides a sobering clarity. I see a sector at a crossroads in a world that will be needing us more than ever in the coming years. While we have more compliance software, tools and apps to track KPIs and generate dashboards than ever before, I am witnessing a quiet, creeping crisis: a loss of genuine oversight and a thinning of leadership accountability.

In my three decades working across a wide range of charities, I’ve seen organizations passionately state their mission, only to see it undermined. Betrayals ranged from weak performance feedback and overly complex strategic plans to executive-level narcissism and outright embezzlement.

Too often, we see the “Illusion of Oversight.” We hear boards talk about building rigor, yet they continue to “blindly trust” staff reports without digging into the raw data. We see KPIs established to monitor health, but they are treated as performative art—glanced at, but never scrutinized. When boards fail to recruit members with specific expertise, or when leaders prioritize “politeness” over difficult questions, the foundation of the organization begins to rot.

The Wisdom of the Archipelago

Since relocating to the Philippines, I have been immersed in two cultural pillars that I believe offer a radical cure for the accountability crisis in the nonprofit sector: Kapwa and Bayanihan.

Kapwa is often translated as “shared identity” or “the self in the other.” It is the profound recognition that my neighbor is not separate from me. In the Philippine context, to harm another is to harm oneself. When we apply Kapwa to nonprofit leadership, accountability ceases to be a legal chore and becomes a moral imperative. If a leader misuses funds or a board member neglects their duty, they are not just “failing an organization”—they are violating the shared inner self of the community they serve.

Bayanihan is a foundational Filipino cultural value representing communal unity, teamwork, and helping neighbors without expecting rewards. Perhaps you have seen the iconic image of a village literally lifting a bamboo house (bahay kubo) onto their shoulders to move it to a new location. This is the essence of a Board of Directors. Every person under that house must carry their share of the weight. If one person stumbles or chooses to let go, the burden shifts onto others, and the entire structure risks collapse.

Moving Beyond Lip Service

We are excellent at “lip service” in the U.S.—the nodding of heads in a boardroom while the actual health of the organization remains a mystery to those tasked with guarding it. To “be the change” in our sector, we must move from passive attendance to active stewardship.

Audit Your Integrity, Not Just Your Books: Ask yourself, “Am I asking the uncomfortable questions, or am I staying silent to maintain ‘board harmony’?” Harmony without honesty is just a facade for failure.

Verify the Lift: In the spirit of Bayanihan, you must know exactly how much weight is being carried. Do not accept summary reports at face value. If you are on a board, you have a moral right and legal duty to understand the “why” behind the numbers.

Recruit for Rigor: A board is not a social club; it is a weight-bearing structure. We must intentionally recruit individuals with specific skills and experience to ensure the house doesn’t tilt.

As I consult with organizations globally from my home here in the Philippines, I am reminded that most of us who chose to work in the voluntary sector want to do good and not harm. Yet, when we allow oversight to lapse, harm is exactly what we facilitate.

We must return to the idea that we are all interconnected. Whether you are a staff leader in a community nonprofit or a board member for an international foundation, your integrity determines if the “house” we are all carrying moves forward or falls. Let us stop giving lip service to values and start putting them into action—now.

The sector—and the critical role it fills in the world we share—cannot afford anything less.

S. Sutton & Associates Inc. is a global network of consultants providing customized Innovation Teams of subject experts with specific technical expertise to help nonprofit organizations and philanthropists maximize their philanthropic efforts and achieve significant impact.

We are poised to partner and collaborate to help you realize your philanthropic potential. Complimentary consultations are available or contact us directly for an exploratory conversation.

Hearing Research International

Hearing Research International (HRI) is an international research foundation powered by Canadian Hearing Services (CHS), advancing innovative research in Hearing Health and Deaf Studies.

Operating over the last five years as CHS Global Partnerships for Research & Innovation, Global Partnerships became Canada’s largest funder dedicated to improving quality of life for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Research funding in the millions has been awarded by a 64-member scientific review grant panel from North America, Europe, and Australia to Canadian primary investigators working in collaboration with researchers in 20 countries.

Responding to a growing worldwide hearing-health challenge, the newly branded Hearing Research International was officially launched on World Hearing Day 2026, as a global foundation, positioning Hearing Health and Deaf Studies research on the world stage.

HRI represents the next evolution of research leadership, fostering collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and borders, setting the agenda for innovative research in the international research ecosystem. To shape the future, the foundation supports research that:

Advances prevention, identification and treatment
Strengthens accessibility and inclusion
Informs policy and professional practice
Improves quality of life for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals

HRI commits to investing in innovative research, fostering cross-border partnerships, shaping global research agendas, and translating knowledge into meaningful advancements. By catalyzing collaborations and connecting expertise, HRI research initiatives and partnerships, generate knowledge improving the lives of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals worldwide.

Please see Representative Client Briefs for information on the range of our clients and projects.

Board Training, Management and Governance

Proper Board management and governance is essential for any nonprofit to assure the demands of steering, supporting and safeguarding organizations are met. Specific technical expertise is required to assure the structure and composition of the Board are suitable, meetings and communications are managed appropriately and members understand and are equipped to fulfill their responsibilities.

Board Training

Boards are in place to govern, though subject to the evolution and needs of the organization may take on various levels of involvement which encroach upon management and operations. S. Sutton & Associates Inc. provides training for Boards in governance and leadership, core duties and roles, the Chief Executive’s mandate, techniques to build strong relationships with the Chief Executive, management and evaluation of the Chief Executive’s performance and succession planning.

Board Management

The mechanics to properly manage meetings and committees, prepare reports and communications, update bylaws and facilitate the fiduciary responsibilities of the Board, require technical expertise and diplomacy to assure all run smoothly. S. Sutton & Associates Inc. takes a hand on approach to train staff assuring structure, process and products support the success of the Board.

Please see our Service offerings for a full list of our subject expertise areas.

S. Sutton & Associates Inc. is honored to announce From the Ground Up: Prospect Research for Nonprofits, a newly released book by Associate of S. Sutton & Associates Inc. Katherine Scott, and Sarah Marcotte. At a moment when nonprofit organizations are navigating an increasingly complex landscape of information, resources, and technology, the need for guidance that is both practical and well-grounded has become more pronounced. This publication responds to that need by offering a guide to prospect research for professionals, while reaffirming the field’s importance to philanthropic practice.

Prospect research has long played a vital role in fundraising, but its wider contribution to nonprofit practice is not always fully recognized. Too often, it is understood only in technical terms, when in fact it helps shape how organizations identify opportunities, manage information, and pursue mission with greater clarity. From the Ground Up: Prospect Research for Nonprofits reflects this understanding of the field. It brings into view the many ways prospect research informs sound decision-making, supports responsible fundraising, and strengthens the systems that allow nonprofit organizations to act with greater confidence and care.

The publication also reflects the depth of experience and perspective that Katherine and Sarah bring to the field. Together, they bring more than 35 years of experience in prospect research and development across a range of nonprofit settings, and both remain active in the community as speakers and thought leaders. Katherine brings over 15 years of experience in philanthropy, with work spanning Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) Canada, Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Canadian Red Cross, and Toronto Metropolitan University, alongside leadership in the profession as the former President of Apra Canada. Sarah, a librarian by profession, has spent nearly two decades in the nonprofit sector with a focus on prospect research, prospect management, and data management, including senior roles at SickKids Foundation, Weizmann Canada, and the Canadian Red Cross.

Katherine and Sarah’s contribution is especially timely. Across philanthropy, there is increasing recognition that effective fundraising depends on the quality of the systems and judgment that support it. In that sense, From the Ground Up speaks to a broader sector need. It offers new professionals a clear entry point, supports experienced practitioners in complex work, and reminds nonprofit leaders that research is central to mission.

In recognizing From the Ground Up: Prospect Research for Nonprofits, S. Sutton & Associates Inc. is proud to celebrate a publication that makes a meaningful contribution to the sector. Books of this kind do more than expand knowledge. They help shape stronger practice, bring important work into clearer view, and leave the field better prepared to serve the public good with care and conviction.

From the Ground Up: Prospect Research for Nonprofits is available for purchase on Amazon.

Morris Price Jr., Executive Associate

Morris W. Price Jr. is a dynamic and results-oriented executive with over three decades of experience in philanthropy, nonprofit, government, and the higher education sectors. He has a proven ability to lead with a strategic vision, and uses financial, programmatic, advocacy and communication resources while fostering an inclusive and collaborative organizational culture.

He is acknowledged for designing and executing effective initiatives that advance equity, foster systemic change, and support a range of causes, issues, and communities. His extensive knowledge of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations at both local and national levels enables him to leverage strategic relationships, mobilizing resources and partnerships to drive significant and lasting change.

Morris has a proven record in mentoring rising leaders, diverse teams, fostering collaboration, and building community relationships to drive impactful change and align with organizational mission.

In these capacities Morris has served as Vice President Grants and Impact, The Colorado Trust, Vice President and Executive Director, City Year Denver, District Director U.S. House of Representatives, Colorado 1st Congressional District, National Program Officer the Gill Foundation, Director of University, College and Community Relations the Daniels Fund, Associate Dean & Director of Undergraduate Admission, University of Denver, and Associate Dean & Director of Multicultural Admission, Depauw University.

Morris currently serves as the Chair of the Board for the Colorado Educational & Cultural Facilities Authority, President, Board of Directors Philanthropy Colorado, Secretary, Board of Trustees Rose Community Foundation, Board Member, Board of Directors, Colorado State University, and Secretary, Board of Directors, Denver Impact Fund.

His contributions have earned him significant recognition, including the Swanee Hunt Individual Leadership Award, the MLK Business Social Responsibility Award, Denver Urban Spectrum 25 Most Influential African Americans, and the NAACP Civil Rights & Social Justice Advocacy Commerce Award.

Morris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University.

Ethan Christopher Chua, Junior Associate

Ethan Chua has joined S. Sutton & Associates Inc. as a Junior Associate and Core Team member, parlaying his experience as a Business Development Analyst at Mastercard, Treasuries and Capital Markets Analyst at Metrobank, and Student Business Officer at Pacific Economic Development Canada, to enhance operational efficiency in cross-department processes, structural improvement plans, and the exploration of the use of AI to help efficiently connect with our ecosystem.

Ethan graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Minor in Commerce, and speaks in addition to English, Tagalog and Mandarin. Now residing in Manila Philippines and with Mastercard, Ethan successfully works on business development opportunities in the FinTech and digital banks space that positively impact the community around him.

Kenny Nguyen, Junior Associate

Kenny Nguyen has joined the Core Team of S. Sutton & Associates Inc. as a Junior Web Developer and System Administrator. Kenny specializes in Software Engineering and System Development and building scalable backend systems and production ready web platforms.

His past roles include Backend Software Engineer at HealthBridge AI, Software Developer at Netpalm, and Programming Instructor at Algorithmics Inc.

Kenny is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Information in Information Science.

Roace Estante, Junior Associate

Roace Estante has joined the firm as a Core Team Member focused on financial tracking and reporting.

A York University graduate with an Honors BA in Psychology, Roace brings diverse experiences having served with the Canadian Armed Forces and as a Supervisor at the Toronto Public Library, where he honed skills in leadership, workflow optimization, and stakeholder collaboration.

He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Information at the University of Toronto, exploring the intersection of technology, data, and organizational strategy, preparing for a career that bridges operations, information management, and innovation.

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Testing the Waters with AI Tools

Post author By Cory Sinclair
Post date October 20, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) has steadily gained ground in the workplace to the point where nonprofits need to think about how it might best figure into their operations. Much like the computer and the internet changed how we work and live, AI is poised to follow suit. Big time. And it will happen more quickly than either of those earlier innovations.

AI is already familiar to most of us in everyday devices such as smartphones and the virtual assistants Siri and Alexa. We’ve similarly grown accustomed to online video and product recommendations, to say nothing of social media where AI works vigorously to keep us engaged. More recently, large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, have introduced a wide range of new possibilities, some remarkably useful and others hard to fathom.

AI Automation and Analysis

For the nonprofit currently considering AI tools from the sidelines, a good starting place may be to think about automating administrative tasks. Here the trial and error phase would be carried out internally with staff members rather than with donors, clients, and the community. A number of administrative tasks are suitable for automation, especially repetitive ones such as scheduling, data entry, processing contributions, creating and maintaining financial reports, and conducting basic donor research.

Beyond administrative automation, AI tools can provide deeper, more strategic insights. By analyzing large amounts of unstructured data such as emails, social media interactions, and surveys, for example, AI can detect the tone and mood of a given topic through sentiment analysis. Then again, the technology can be employed to identify patterns and trends in data sets, and if prompted make predictions based on those patterns and trends.

Adopt a Healthy Skepticism with LLMs

As many readers have no doubt discovered, LLMs can produce quick and easy content on a world of subjects in whatever form and length one desires. They can compose grant applications based on an organization’s past successful proposals. Likewise with emails, press releases, and marketing materials. Or prepare the draft of an annual report based on a given set of files. What’s more, with AI-powered summarization tools, one can encapsulate complex reports in an abstract, an executive summary, or otherwise.

But while LLMs can crank out the copy, the finished product requires careful review. The text occasionally includes a perspective, or a word or term, that is inaccurate, inappropriate, or even offensive to the reader. LLMs simply reflect the data sets that train them, together with the algorithms that process those data sets.

On the other hand, an LLM’s finished product may be substandard due to a lack of specificity in the prompt. These systems deliver the best results when the instructions they receive are precise and draw from diverse and representative data sets.

The Rise of the Chatbot

Chatbots are another AI tool that will likely become a standard fixture of many websites. And for good reason, they offer a number of important benefits. With 24/7 access, chatbots serve a vital purpose in the health care sector, for example, by providing answers to questions about a distressing medical issue. This is of great value to medical organizations and their clients, especially those in remote areas with limited means. Similarly in the education sector, chatbots can open doors for people with disabilities by converting text into speech and speech into text, among other things.

From another angle, the ability of chatbots to translate language makes a world of difference to the many nonprofits that operate in diverse, multilingual environments. At the same time, they relieve staff members from handling repetitive queries. And the data that they collect not only provides actionable information about the organization at hand but also feedback about its website (e.g., content, appearance, navigation).

Chatbots are not without their drawbacks, though. They only provide answers to a limited number of queries, which calls for a staff member to take over at some point. Further, because they lack emotional intelligence, unable to detect anger, frustration, or panic, they may respond to a query in a manner that makes matters worse. For this and other reasons, the organization should factor in regular monitoring and maintenance of the chatbot, along with refining and updating its algorithms.

Opportunities for Collaboration

Many technology companies offer pro-bono services and skills-based volunteering, particularly through AI hackathons and tech conferences. Nonprofit executives might look into attending such events and having discussions with various people about working together. These partnerships should be clearly understood as mutually beneficial, with the nonprofit gaining access to AI expertise and the tech company enhancing its reputation, and the participants’ morale, by joining forces with your organization.

Challenges and Safeguards with AI Tools

While AI tools offer a host of benefits, they also raise legitimate concerns about bias, privacy, and ethics. Intentionally or not, biases in algorithms and training data can lead to discriminatory outcomes in a number of ways, such as hiring, granting loans, or segmenting a target population. In addition, the handling of private and sensitive data about donors and other stakeholders is crucial to keep confidential.

Early on, leadership should develop an AI Usage Policy to provide staff members with guidelines as to what is acceptable and what is off limits. Nonprofits must continually assess how AI tools impact their operations and reputation. Those who do so thoughtfully will not only upgrade the job duties of their staff, but also increase the organization’s ability to concentrate on its mission.

Corporate & Social Responsibility Uncategorized

Reconciliation is a Verb

Post author By Susan Sutton
Post date September 30, 2024

The Indigenous territories that make up about 22 percent of the world’s land surface hold 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity. And while biodiversity is under threat everywhere, it is declining more slowly in areas managed by Indigenous peoples. Every direction you look, the ways to stop the mass extinction of species are deeply tied to the knowledge and practices of Indigenous peoples.

Indigenous Peoples’ traditional knowledge and knowledge systems are key to designing a sustainable future for all. International environmental negotiations need to go beyond tokenistic participation of Indigenous Peoples to a genuine integration of their worldviews and knowledge. Respecting and promoting their collective rights to their lands, self-determination, and consent is vital to strengthening their role as custodians of nature and agents of change. 

In June 2017 the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented 94 “Calls to Action” to further reconciliation between Canadian and Indigenous peoples. Canada was the first country to take this action and is making progress to change the colonial laws, policies, and institutions that continue to exist in many parts of its society, but it is slow.  

The federal government is accountable for 76 of the 94 Calls to Action – either alone or in partnership with the provinces and territories. As of January 1, 2024, according to Indigenous Watchdog, 11 of those Calls to Action are complete, 39 are in progress, 13 are stalled, and 13 have not been started.

Of the 18 of the Calls to Action for which the responsibility lies with the church and other entities like post-secondary educational institutions, only two have been completed.

The call is out for all Canadians to double-down their commitment to the work of truth and reconciliation by pushing for the implementation of all 94 Calls to Action.

S. Sutton & Associates Inc. recognizes the importance of true engagement with Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide, for as the saying goes, “When we are not at the table, it means we are on the table.”

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples be obtained in matters of fundamental importance for their rights, survival, dignity, and well-being. Moreover, consultations to obtain this consent must respect local governance and decision-making processes and structures; must occur in indigenous languages and on indigenous peoples’ time frames; and be free of coercion or threat. Indigenous peoples must engage as equal partners and knowledge holders.

With this in mind we are honored to welcome Dr. Shirley Cheechoo, C.M. (Cree) to S. Sutton & Associates Inc. as our newest Strategic Advisor, lending an Indigenous voice to all that we do.

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Associate Bio Submission

Post author By mturner
Post date October 16, 2016

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Post author By mturner
Post date October 16, 2016

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Join Our Team

Post author By mturner
Post date October 16, 2016

Join Our Team

Why Join Us?

You will be part of an international not-for-profit consulting firm led by recognized leaders in philanthropy. Through our unique Innovation Team Model, Associates of the firm have the opportunity to:

Benefit from an attractive compensation and incentive structure

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