'Mutual Aid on Steroids'

Welcome to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s weekly newsletter highlighting stories and conversations from The Commons , our project exploring how philanthropy and nonprofits are working to close divides, repair the social fabric, and strengthen communities.

From senior editor Drew Lindsay: If you believe nonprofits must scrap and fight in a Darwinian, dog-eat-dog struggle, I’ve got a story for you. For more than a decade, Eric Liu , a former Clinton administration whiz kid who now leads Citizen University , has brought together scores of leaders for an exercise akin to a barn-raising. They come from all corners of the nonprofit world and all parts of the country and ideological spectrum. Each pledges time, resources, and even money to help one another with projects that advance their organizations.

“It’s mutual aid on steroids,” Eric says.

Citizen University has been hosting these gatherings for more than a decade. I attended the 41st session in the hills outside Los Angeles. There I saw three nonprofit projects get more than 60 commitments of support, including $10,000 in seed money. 

There’s clearly something special happening here — members of the group talk about their bonds of trust and affection — but Liu says anyone can do this. Offshoot pilots have taken root in a handful of cities, among them Atlanta, Chicago, Lexington, Ky., and Wichita, Kan., as well as one for all of Arizona.

I hope you can take a moment to read the story .

Philanthropist Laura Arnold on What It Takes to Reduce Polarization and Partisanship

“It’s very hard to resist the temptation to be righteous sometimes.”

That candid admission comes from Laura Arnold, a major philanthropist who, with her husband, John, routinely gives away hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Earlier this week, Laura joined Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to help launch our new interview series, The Commons in Conversation.

The Houston-based couple and their Arnold Ventures are known for a focus on finding bipartisan solutions, and Laura talked to Stacy about their strategies for bringing together people on tough issues like health care and criminal justice. One key: putting aside ideology and the righteousness that can come from a passionate belief in something. 

If you don’t make space for and respect other points of view, she cautioned, “you will lose the fight right then.”

The conversation took place on LinkedIn . You also can watch a recording of the interview on the Chronicle’s YouTube channel , or you can read the transcript .

Upcoming Events: The Commons in Conversation 

Next up in our new interview series:

• Layla Zaidane , CEO of Future Caucus (formerly Millennial Action Project) , talks about her work with Gen Z and millennial elected officials to bridge partisan divides. Wednesday, September 18, at 12:30 p.m ET. Register .

• Erik Bork , Emmy-winning screenwriter and producer, previews his soon-to-be-released The Elephant in the Room, a philanthropy-backed red-blue romantic comedy. Wednesday, October 2, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Register.

Of the Moment

• As students return to colleges, Wesleyan president Michael Roth writes in the New York Times about the value and problems of protests: “Demonstrations shouldn’t just entice you to come up with rhyming chants; they should push you to inquire about how different groups of people think about complex issues. And protests should lead to more discussion, not shut it down in favor of ever louder chanting.”

• Education Week recently published a special report, “Big Ideas for Upending Polarization,” which includes a survey of educators. One interesting finding : Only 4 percent said polarization is not an issue in their school or district.
• Nicole Bibbins Sedaca , interim president of Freedom House , argues in the Bulwark that political leaders are “blurring the distinction between genuine threats to our democracy and policy positions they oppose.” The result: Americans begin to see disagreement typical of politics as dangerous.