Platform Power: Who Holds the Microphone in Philanthropy?
An exploration of who controls the platforms shaping philanthropic discourse
During my PhD research, a female colleague asked me for recommendations of women's voices in philanthropy. I paused, looked at the literature review I had built and realized it was dominated by men.
Later, I noticed something similar while promoting the Women in Philanthropy podcast project. When asking people to share the podcast, most of the messages I sent were to men. It was a quiet, repeated pattern I hadn’t questioned enough.
Most recently, my LinkedIn feed has been full of commentary and analysis on the philanthropy sector. Again, almost all of it is authored or led by men, and then those conversations are responded to within the same group.
These experiences accumulated, prompting a bigger question: Who actually holds editorial power over the platforms shaping the public conversation in philanthropy?
To begin answering it, I compiled a list of editors-in-chief and editorial leads from key philanthropy and nonprofit publications in the US, UK, and Canada. I focused primarily on those outlets that influence foundation practice, but included a few that touch broader nonprofit discourse.
This isn’t a PhD dissertation. I have the disaggregated data and looked across these publications:
Chronicle of Philanthropy
Alliance Magazine
Inside Philanthropy
The Giving Review
Why Philanthropy Matters
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Nonprofit Quarterly
The Foundation Review
Blue Avocado
Philanthropy News Digest
Nonprofit AF
The Philanthropist Journal
Foundation Magazine
CharityVillage
Future of Good
Philanthropy Impact Magazine
Fundraising Magazine
Civil Society Media
What I found was striking, but not necessarily surprising. Across major platforms, men hold the majority of top editorial positions.
Women are present but often in smaller numbers, and typically not across the most visible or agenda-setting outlets.
This pattern mirrors larger global media trends. According to the 2024 Reuters Institute factsheet on Women and Leadership in the News Media, women comprise only about 24% of top editors across 240 major news brands in 12 markets.
This disconnect is especially stark in philanthropy: while the sector celebrates "giving voice," it remains silent about who controls the microphone.
The reality is that the voices analyzing philanthropy, those setting the tone for debate, critique, and reflection, are still overwhelmingly white and male. Women often contribute to writing but are far less likely to hold the editorial power to decide which stories are told and how they are framed.
Behind the scenes, platform ownership, not just participation, shapes the narratives we see.
Who controls the microphone matters.