Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of the Theory of Fundamental Interactions, Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, formulates the nature of knowledge as follows: “Knowledge is a renewable and inexhaustible resource. Knowledge is not an on-shelf product. And it is essentially boundless.” Describing the unique feature of knowledge, he adds that “engaging with knowledge is an active process. Its main value lies in how it transforms the learner. Real [meaning for] knowledge starts where textbooks end, and a unique feature of us as humans is the ability to navigate the uncharted territories of scientific papers yet unwritten, results yet unformulated, and hypotheses yet unshaped.”

Exploring one’s identity is a crucial issue, not only for a person but also for every organization or a company that tries thinking strategically.

All the experts agreed that what is known in the corporate world as diversity and inclusion (D&I) are vital principles for generating new knowledge, whether we are talking about individuals or systems of values and outlooks. This approach recognizes the importance of factoring in everyone’s experiences, characteristics, and viewpoints at all organizational levels, adding value to the organization’s ultimate products.

Semikhatov underscores, “It is important that different generations be represented in any team producing new knowledge. This is because knowledge creation does not happen top-down following instructions, but requires continuity in the teaching/learning paradigm.”

Dukhanina also emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives: “Exploring one’s identity is a crucial issue, not only for a person but also for every organization or a company that tries thinking strategically. It is extremely important to allow visibility for a spectrum of different viewpoints.”

ADAPTING KNOWLEDGE TO EXTERNAL CHANGES

Shifting the focus to practical considerations, it is crucial for donor organizations not only to comprehend the role of knowledge in their sector but also to acknowledge how external factors (such as the emphasis on sustainable development, mounting staff shortages, and the trend towards technological sovereignty) impact and challenge the established knowledge management practices. These issues were central to the panel session at the conference “Priceless Cargo: Organizing the Accumulation, Management, and Transfer of Knowledge and Competencies in the Sector,”[109] where participants shared their insights and strategies for enhancing the maturity of knowledge management processes, methods of knowledge accumulation, and technologies for knowledge transfer.

It is crucial for donor organizations not only to comprehend the role of knowledge in their sector but also to acknowledge how external factors impact the established knowledge management practices.

The challenges identified in preserving and transferring a large body of knowledge in the rapidly changing conditions include:

• Lack of Structured Information: The information donor organizations often have to deal with is usually heterogeneous and poorly organized information. This applies to contextual data critical for understanding key aspects of the funding environment and data that illuminates the impact of funding. The scarcity of structured information poses significant challenges in developing a knowledge management system, particularly in categorizing information logically or thematically.

• Access to Reliable and Current Information: Employees in foundations and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) departments often lack access to a broad spectrum of information, including research, best practices, and success stories relevant to their work areas. Furthermore, the information at hand is not necessarily compliant with the quality standards, current, or even practically useful. In the fast-evolving field of social innovation which the donor organizations are investing in, information becomes outdated quickly, necessitating mechanisms for ongoing updates and evaluation of information within an organization and in the community at large.

• Data Security: Knowledge management systems must be safeguarded against unauthorized access. Their staff must possess the knowledge and skills to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information, such as personal data about donors and beneficiaries.

Donor organizations need to measure the effectiveness of their knowledge management systems, assessing how well they aid in achieving goals.

• Measuring Knowledge Management System Effectiveness: Donor organizations need to measure the effectiveness of their knowledge management systems, assessing how well they aid in achieving goals and maximizing social impact. This requires:

1) A unified stance and clear understanding among the management team regarding the benefits of knowledge and knowledge management system.

2) Competence in setting appropriate goals and planning outcomes for the process.

3) Skills in developing effective performance indicators.

4) A commitment to invest in monitoring processes for tracking the progress towards achieving the goals and the returns on investment in the knowledge management system.

• Fostering a Knowledge Management Culture for Collective Benefit: It is widely accepted today that strategic philanthropy depends on reliable information. Foundations and socially responsible companies have been gathering data for years, but to truly benefit and elevate their operations, a more challenging task lies ahead — developing a knowledge management culture within the donor community. This, of course, involves employee training and establishing mechanisms for knowledge exchange among organizations.

Inga Moiseeva, CEO of the Development Group consulting agency, observes, “Knowledge is the product of donors’ activities; it is part of social technology and the foundation of our work approach.”

Having a robust knowledge management process helps rapidly growing organizations stay grounded, adhere to their mission, and remain the institution their founders had envisaged them to be. Institutionalizing the knowledge management process involves developing specific principles, policies, and guidelines regulating this activity. The Potanin Foundation has a notable experience in this regard. They have crafted an internal policy that defines their approach to knowledge management. This document not only outlines the foundation’s definition of “knowledge” as “information about successful models, lessons learned, tested approaches and tools, potential risks and challenges that helps the foundation, its partners and beneficiaries to make their operations more efficient…,”[110] but also establishes principles for managing this valuable asset. These types of documents lay the groundwork for a culture of knowledge within an organization, involving all staff in the process. As stated in the document, “Knowledge management is a collective effort. The entire team of the Foundation participates to some extent in creating, capturing, disseminating, and utilizing knowledge