15 years in, what advice would we give philanthropists at the start of their environment journey?

Welcome to our new philanthropy digest bringing you the latest insights, ideas, and discussions about innovative ways we can reimagine our sector; supporting and platforming the communities who can drive real change for a fairer, more sustainable, and stronger future.

This week’s issue marks Synchronicity Earth’s 15-year anniversary by speaking to our Co-Founders Adam and Jessica Sweidan about what they would tell philanthropists starting their journey supporting solutions to the environmental crises.

This is an extract from an interview with Adam and Jessica published in full on our website. Read the full interview here >>

15 years in, what advice would we give philanthropists at the start of their environment journey?

Follow your heart

Jessica: As a funder, as a philanthropist, there's so much joy that you can ascertain in giving. It's hard to think of anything that gives me personally much more joy than that. So really find a space which speaks to you, where you really feel like you can just include your heart in the process.

Adam: I think when we started, like many philanthropists, we were led by our hearts. And that’s so important, because that’s where care comes from. My love for nature is intrinsic to me, so my heart and emotions were there before my intellect, but now my brain understands that biodiversity loss is an existential threat to humanity.

Always stay open to learning

Adam: Something I have found fascinating about the last 15 years is just how steep the learning curve continues to be. Most other things in my life, the learning curve starts steep but then it slows down the longer you do it. But the environment is complex, and the way it affects everything keeps evolving, and so philanthropy keeps evolving. On top of that, the geopolitics of all the countries we are working in keeps changing, while the effect of climate change is accelerating and continues to impact our partners.

This escalation of complexity is a constant. So, for me, the learning never stops.

Trust your potential

Jessica: But be patient with it. Sometimes we can feel like imposters when we walk into the environmental or conservation space, because there is so much to learn, and there is so much science. There is so, so much to comprehend.

Don't be intimidated by the journey and the people you will meet on the journey and don’t be afraid to engage and resond. Know that whatever expertise you might have, or whatever space you might come from, you're going to have an enormous amount to offer the environmental movement, because it touches all of us.

Join the community

Adam: There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. If you’re starting now, know that you don’t need to waste precious resources by starting from scratch or building something new. You might want to consider partnering with one of the many high quality organisations that already exists and save a lot of time and money.

There are many ways to collaborate with other funders which gets more funding to where it needs to be. The hour is late, and although urgency can make us rush and make mistakes, I think the way around that is to leverage the knowledge which is out there and really work together.

Climate and biodiversity are totally interconnected, and we have to treat the solutions that way, too.

Give core and flexible funding

Jessica: I think we have to be more flexible than we've ever been, more open than we've ever been, to face what is coming. Funding isn’t just funding. Depending on how you fund, what you’re giving can become more valuable to the organisations on the ground and the impact can be so much greater.

There is still so much project-based funding, but it is so important to support the organisations who are doing the work the way they want to be supported – so they can do what they know needs to be done. Nothing competes with core funding and its value-add.

If you enjoy reading this extract of our 15-year reflection interview with Adam and Jessica, you can read the full interview here.

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