Balancing the Competing Demands of Strategic Philanthropy: The Case of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative

This article examines four interrelated tensions encountered in strategic philanthropy, using the Delaware River Watershed Initiative as a case study: upfront planning versus emergent strategy, top-down versus bottom-up management, strategic focus versus opportunistic flexibility, and ambitious aspirations versus realistic expectations. Based on an evaluation of the initiative’s first four years, the paper discusses how these tensions played out during its evolution. It concludes by suggesting that evaluation in strategic philanthropy should not only provide feedback but also facilitate a learning process to help participants clarify their roles and approaches.