EDGE Members Action PODs
Description: A space for EDGE members to explore and develop innovative, effective strategies and tools for partnering with and supporting social movements, considering the complexities and potential harms of funding, and leveraging EDGE’s leadership to enhance collective power for systemic change, while fostering a collaborative space for funders to share experiences and co-create practical resources
Next Meeting : November 19th at 8:00 PST/12:00 EST/17:00 CET
Description: Built on conversations emerged during the EDGE Conference, this space connects funders and practitioners working within global intermediary organizations. Together, we will build a strong, supportive community, share best practices, and improve grantmaking processes to maximize their collective impact.
Next Meeting : July 3, 2025
Description: This Action POD unites funders working on racial justice and/or interested in exploring how to adopt a more intersectional lens in their funding. Through dialogue and collaboration, they’ll explore how systemic racism intersects with other issues, learn from each other’s work, and develop strategies to increase funding for racial justice initiatives.
Dedicated Website Page
Next Meeting :tbh
Description: A community of practices for EDGE members to address the growing challenges and opportunities around how philanthropic organizations measure and understand their impact. Through this POD, we aim to foster a collaborative environment that prioritizes shared learning, innovative approaches, and progressive practices in philanthropy related to L&E, topics could include developing participatory and trust-based methodologies, showcasing global examples of progressive L&E practices, and co-creating guidelines to support equitable donor-partner relationships.
Next Meeting : January 21st at 2pm UTC
WHAT IS A MEMBER ACTION POD?
Member Action PODs (Philanthropy Organizing to Deliver) are specialized forums within EDGE designed to foster peer collaboration, problem-solving, and action-oriented dialogue among members. These spaces serve as platforms for members to organize, strategize, and take collective action on specific topics relevant to philanthropy and social justice.
A few examples of goals and activities of the Member Action PODs include (not exhaustive):
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Create connections, strengthen relationships, identify opportunities
COLLECTIVE LEARNING
Map experiences, share challenges, seek and offer help
ACTION ORIENTED
Analyze practice and tools, pool & use resources, make concrete changes
WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN PRACTICE
In the Member Action PODs, EDGE members engage in actionable discussions over a set time period, moving beyond traditional dialogues to focus on practical problem-solving. These spaces are exclusive to EDGE members, providing a confidential environment conducive to open dialogue and collaboration. Each Action POD is structured around a particular theme or issue, such as Racial Justice, Agroecology or Funding Movements, allowing members to delve deeply into areas of shared interest.
Structure: The structure of the Action POD is both set and flexible. It is set in the sense that it takes place in a set timeframe, starts with a discovery session and closes with the delivery of an outcome. It is flexible in that it allows participants to shape agendas and discussions based on their needs and priorities.
Participation: EDGE members can join an Action POD at anytime in the process: the calendar of active PODs will be regularly distributed. Participation in a POD is an active exercise and participants are expected and encouraged to be ready to commit to contribute, organize and deliver, and to encourage and support others to do so!
Roles: EDGE provides support in setting up and facilitating, members take the lead in organizing and driving the conversation. Member Action PODs are linkers and weavers, sharing in other EDGE spaces and beyond, and they are action-focused, aiming to catalyze and deliver tangible outcomes and initiatives within the philanthropic sector.
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DISCOVERY
EDGE members interested in the topic join the first meeting, where we collectively agree on the 4 or 5 conversations the group will focus on during the year.
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ORGANIZING
Calendared sessions during the year that follow a progression towards action and an outcome (delivery) within the year (or less!). At the end of each session the group identifies a few highlights to share with the EDGE membership, coordinated by the secretariat.
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DELIVERY
The action POD closes with delivery – and the sky’s the limit. A lowest threshold suggestion is to at least share back learnings with the EDGE membership about why no action emerged.
HOW DO I JOIN?
Participation in Action PODs is exclusive to EDGE members, ensuring a community of like-minded funders committed to social justice and change.
Member Action PODs provide a structured yet flexible platform for EDGE members to collaborate, innovate, and take meaningful action towards advancing social justice through funding and organizing philanthropy.
Sign up to an active POD using the links at the top of this document or contact Martina to propose another one.