Trust-Based Philanthropy and Evaluation: A Conversation with Dawn Marshall

Dawn Marshall’s philanthropic journey is grounded in trust and an unwavering belief in community expertise. Through years of nonprofit volunteerism and accounting support, she’s observed how rigid funding structures and compliance-heavy evaluations often force organizations to compromise their missions. Her shift toward trust-based philanthropy came from recognizing that effective giving means relinquishing control and respecting the autonomy of grantees. She shares a personal turning point when her initial requirement for a grantee's budget plan created unintended stress—prompting her to reflect on the real meaning of partnership and trust. By easing restrictions and focusing on relationship-building, Dawn found that shared learning and honest conversations about impact became not only possible but transformative.

Ana Nunes brings a complementary perspective from the evaluation side, advocating for approaches that prioritize community voice and mutual learning over top-down compliance. Her perspective is that evaluation can and should be a collaborative tool to support growth, not just a reporting requirement. Ana emphasizes co-creating impact frameworks and redefining what constitutes "good data" to include lessons learned from both success and failure. Together, Dawn and Ana envision a future where evaluation is not about satisfying funders' checklists but about fostering accountability, learning, and adaptation in service of lasting social change.