The Invitation - The Future is Ours, Take Your Seat, Be the Wave
Aug 24, 2026By Tracey Greene-Washington
Tracey Greene-Washington is a Visioning Strategist at FutureGood.
Over the past two years, futurism has become a central theme in CoThinkk conversations, extending into every national giving circle space we have had the privilege to join. It is a lens that amplifies a long-standing practice within CoThinkk, where we constantly ask, “What could be possible if?” This type of curiosity, proximity to community and complex issues, and big dreaming has been normalized and has become a non-negotiable in every discussion and strategy. It serves as a powerful proxy for innovation and the power of collectiveness, setting the stage for the ongoing invitation and value proposition for CoThinkk members to proclaim that The Future is Ours, Take Your Seat, Be the Wave, and to embrace our role as co-architects of the future. A future influenced by a new era of post-Hurricane Helene rebuilding, a complex national and regional backdrop, and an evolved understanding of the power of collective giving and giving circles and their critical role as a thought partner, innovation and investment partner within and across the broader philanthropic sector as a critical lever for deeper impact across the country.
The CoThinkk invitation is anchored in three powerful beliefs. The deep belief that “The future is ours to create, and that utilizing a futurism lens and posture enables us to strategically align efforts to hold both the current and long-term view for transformational impact. The second belief is that, by committing to take Your Seat and Be The Wave, we are intentionally choosing a posture to join our unified energy and resources to have a profound impact in this moment and many moments moving forward, in a collective, collaborative way that impacts western NC deeply. Lastly, the final belief is that we have the choice to choose each other in this moment and every moment moving forward to reimagine our collective impact, serve as bridges and connectors, and lean into our values and embrace the role of being co-architects in designing, building, and innovating through the power of our collective time, talent, and treasure.
Consequently, we are creating a set of enabling conditions that are redefining us, our role, and our discipline to reimagine our collective future; to walk alongside community, sector, and regional partners to amplify innovative work; to build new foundations; and to invest in leaders within our community. This creates a powerful vibration of multi-racial/cultural, multi-generational, multi-county, and multi-sector leaders and communities across western NC, explicitly calling forward social change philanthropists across all generations to take their seats in our region - a calling forward to be innovative and lean into a posture of transformational leadership. A calling forward reflecting powerful choice points that have been seeded and will continue to evolve, serving as a bridge into each conversation shaping our work in 2026 and in this new era as we embrace our role as co-architects.
Join us on September 14 as Tracey Greene-Washington, Visioning Strategist at FutureGood, highlights what's possible when giving circles and giving circle movements overlay a futurism lens and posture onto collective giving. She walks participants through the readiness process, current national and regional trends, and key choice points that are transforming CoThinkk. As a local social change giving circle, CoThinkk embraced futurism to evolve its organizational model to meet immediate community needs and drive long-term system change for greater impact. This evolution positions the organization to be and help co-architect a new era of regional collective giving. To define this future, CoThinkk leverages cross-generational momentum, innovative strategic investments, and youth-centered leadership -all while navigating technological advancements, national challenges, and regional recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Consequently, repositioning and amplifying the critical role giving circles can play as thought partners, innovators, and investment partners alongside the community and across the broader philanthropic sector.
To Learn more about CoThinkk, visit our website at https://cothinkk.org/.
Register for the Webinar: Futurism in Giving Circles: How Collective Giving Innovates and Builds What’s Next Together
Date: Monday, September 14, 2026
Time: 1pm ET / 10am PT
