Slow is fast – Why patience pays in philanthropy

Trust is a valuable currency everywhere. In my decade-long work in the social sector, I have learnt that it's everything. Unlike other sectors where success can be measured in profits or performance, here, progress hinges on human connection. How quickly and warmly communities open their doors and share their lives is directly proportional to how much trust we have been able to earn from them. That’s why true social change can never be rushed; it must move at the pace of trust.

India’s CSR law has undoubtedly been a boon, channelling significant funds into the development sector and formalising the role of corporates in building a nation. As compliance grows, so does the pressure for quicker turnaround, faster scaling, and delivering return on investment (ROI) within short cycles. In the rush for visible impact, we often lose sight of the fact that any meaningful, deep, and community-rooted work needs time and trust.

And that’s why patient funding isn’t just a good-to-have anymore. It’s a must-have for lasting change. Simply put, it is funds that allow projects and organisations the time to experiment, fail, learn, and refine solutions without the constant pressure of quarterly or short-term performance metrics – unlocking the potential to create lasting, transformative change. When funding moves at the pace of change, it makes room for:

Deep, multi-pronged impact: When philanthropy is done right, it doesn’t just solve a single problem – it sets off a chain reaction. For instance, building school toilets leads to improved attendance, especially among girls. Providing access to water round-the-year through irrigation or farm ponds reduces seasonal migration, helping keep children in school and families together. Supplying clean drinking water at home frees up time and energy for women to pursue enterprise, boosting household incomes and giving them greater agency.

The effects reinforce each other, creating a stronger, more resilient community. According to a Dalberg assessment, every Rs 1 invested in Swades Foundation generates a ₹21 return in combined social, economic, and environmental value—proof that patient, well-placed funding multiplies its impact far beyond its original intent.

Sustainability: For many of us in the social sector, true success means being able to step away, because that’s when a community has the capacity to sustain the work on its own. Building that kind of capacity often requires reversing mindsets conditioned over generations and replacing them with systems that can outlive us. And that transformation takes time before it can truly take root.

A powerful example is Chetna Gala Sinha, founder of the Mann Deshi. Instead of simply providing financial aid, she invested in building financial literacy, confidence, and long-term agency among women who had never set foot in a bank. Today, these very women run the Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank – a cooperative bank run by and for rural women. Today, those same women run their own businesses, manage savings groups, and lead local economic movements.

This is proof that when communities are empowered, the change maker can, and should, step back. To carry forward this mandate of change long after philanthropies step away, our exit strategies must also be designed around training local community bodies who can do this – Village Development Committees.

Innovation: Challenges like poverty, poor health, lack of education, and gender inequality are deeply intertwined with social norms, local realities, and systemic gaps. In a country like India, where the sheer scale of these issues can be overwhelming, the ability to design solutions that can work at scale is absolutely critical. And for that, innovation is indispensable. Also, these solutions must be co-designed with the people they aim to serve, not imposed from the outside.

A powerful example is SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association), which began as a small trade union in Gujarat. Instead of offering top-down aid, SEWA partnered with women in the informal sector to design solutions they needed - access to credit, healthcare, housing, insurance, legal aid etc. Over decades, through community-led models and steady, patient support, it has grown into a nationwide movement empowering thousands of women.

In the end, patient funding is not about slowing down for the sake of it. It is about moving consciously at the pace that trust, capacity, and community ownership will allow. It recognises that deep impact, sustainability, and innovation cannot be rushed, and that the real measure of success in philanthropy is not how quickly we arrive, but how long we stay.

(Zarina Screwvala is the co-founder of Swades Foundation, which works to alleviate poverty and empower rural communities through a holistic, community-driven model of development.)

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)