Note from Jen: Working backward from impact

We talk a lot at the Bush Foundation about how you don’t have to have a “leadership role” to be a leader. You can lead from anywhere. It is a bit more awkward to talk about the corollary truth, which is that just because you have the “leadership role” doesn’t mean you are leading.

Published 2018

Note from Jen: Philanthropy that's better for everyone

One of the challenges of making institutions and systems work better for everyone, is that the people who rise to leadership tend to be people who thrive in those environments. When an institution worked well for you, it is harder to see the ways it may not work for others. It is harder to see what needs to change to make it work well for everyone.

Published 2018

Note from Jen: bushCONNECT + How change happens

This year at bushCONNECT, I shared some thoughts on how change happens. I’ve done a lot of research the past couple of years on successful examples of social change. There are examples all around us all the time. We often don’t even notice them, much less learn from them.

Published 2018

Note from Jen: Venturing out from our bases

The Bush Foundation is nonpartisan. We do our work, however, in a partisan world. We recognize this in our focus on community problem solving. We recognize that solving problems in our communities requires working across political difference. And like working across any kind of difference, this requires truly understanding what we believe and why.

Published 2018

Note from Jen: Doing more good

One of our values is More good. Every year. As an organization, we do things that we believe are clearly good. And even as we try to do good, we know we also do things that cause or contribute to negative outcomes in the world. We do both every day, sometimes simultaneously.

Published 2019