The culture of philanthropy is polite. Too polite.

Last week, a group of nonprofit leaders known as the Leap Ambassadors released a collection of essays, aimed at foundations, called Funding Performance. They argue that donors need to do a much better job of supporting and trusting the charities that they fund.

The authors sound a call for change:

Funders, heal thyself! Your intentions are noble, but your practices aren’t. The vast majority of you are starving your grantees rather than nourishing them. When your grantees get a chance to speak freely — that is, anonymously — about the way you treat them, they express resentment that you’re not listening to them or giving them what they need for success. Enough is enough!

They go on to say that foundations should empower (and not hamstring) nonprofits by giving them multi-year, general operating grants. They should trust and respect the charities they support (and not micromanage them). They should come to aid of charities when they make mistakes (rather than punish them). And they should give out more money when times are tough (instead of fretting over their endowments).

This is all excellent advice, if not exactly new, as Phil Buchanan of the Center for Effective Philanthropy wrote the other day:

The essays are insightful, persuasive, and full of practical…