Erasing the Lines of the Box

This message is adapted from remarks shared by the East Tennessee Foundation’s President & CEO, Dr. Keith Barber, during Governor Bill Lee’s 2026 East Tennessee Faith & Community Summit in Knoxville.

Dr. Barber was asked to discuss one major challenge from the philanthropy sector in addressing “wicked problems,” the interconnected and persistent issues such as housing instability, food insecurity, mental health challenges, transportation barriers, poverty, and social isolation that cannot be solved by any one organization or sector alone and one major advantage philanthropy brings to this work.

The topic remains timely for all of us working to make lives better and communities stronger across East Tennessee.

It is an honor to serve as President & CEO of the East Tennessee Foundation (ETF/Foundation), a community foundation that recently celebrated its 40^th anniversary and whose mission it is to make lives better and communities stronger across generations in East Tennessee. Because of our work with philanthropists, volunteers, nonprofits, houses of worship, and governmental agencies, we are in a unique position to see the breadth of the work happening across East Tennessee, hear directly from those charged to address our communities’ most pressing challenges, and recognize opportunities to connect organizations and resources. In this role, we have consistently observed that many organizations do meaningful work to strengthen our communities, but many do not know one another or fully understand the services and resources available to collaborate with each other.

An example of this was exposed after Hurricane Helene ripped through northeast Tennessee in September 2024. ETF supported short-term relief and long-term recovery efforts to the tune of millions of dollars and were also engaged in grassroots efforts, connecting funders, volunteers, and victims to resources and programs to enable the communities to get back on their feet.

During that work, we were reminded that many nonprofits, houses of worship, and even government agencies didn’t know of others with whom to partner.

Being in our unique position allowed ETF the opportunity to recognize each of these elements. And as we listened to, learned from, and leaned into nonprofits, community leaders, donors, volunteers, and even victims of the hurricane for clearer insights into how to best support them, we were able to facilitate pathways for collaboration to address the wicked problem at hand. Once these pathways became clear and these entities were connected, they found ways to work together and did so with great success.

So, what is the solution? How do we convert this barrier to address wicked problems?

Envision a box.

Humans, at least most of us, are conditioned to think in a box. It’s safe. It’s easy (or easier). It’s comfortable. It’s conforming and clean. Someone else tells us what to do and we do it.

Some folks have the ability to “think outside the box.” This can bring non-conformity and resistance from those who don’t think this way. But it can also bring creativity.

What if, however, we erase the lines of the box? What happens when we forget about our boundaries and we don’t care who gets the credit? What comes of considering who can complement us, versus who we are competing against? Then the outcomes have real potential, amazing and endless possibilities! Erasing the lines of the box provides a clean palette to paint whatever we conceive, whatever we can dream. We’re not bound by lanes that direct us. Rather, we’re open to endless opportunities and limitless perspectives.

Across East Tennessee, we have seen this kind of collaboration in action. Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee convenes grant makers through its Funders’ Roundtable to discuss regional challenges and explore shared solutions. Arts For All in Maryville partners with organizations and school systems to create accessible theater and art experiences for children with special needs. [Former] Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ School Mania brings together houses of worship, businesses, and other donors to provide thousands of backpacks at the beginning of the school year to students and families.

All of these examples highlight organizations with their own specialties, working together for the greater good, and without regard to whoever receives the credit.

What are the next steps for philanthropy to turn the lack of collaboration as a barrier into an advantage for us to face wicked problems? First, we must understand what makes each of us unique. Ask, “what is my organization called to do better than all others?” Next, forget about who receives the credit. Then, make time to discover others who can complement you. What other organizations can bring their own uniqueness to help battle the issue, attacking it from multiple angles, providing varying advantages—all with the same end mission in mind?

To this end, in the coming weeks, the East Tennessee Foundation will launch a webpage that provides a list of all nonprofit organizations in our 25-county service area. Searchable by organization name, discipline of service, and location, this will be our gift to the community to assist us all as we collaborate to address the wicked problems we face. And, as the East Tennessee Foundation learned in the aftermath of one of the region’s most devastating wicked natural disasters, collaboration is a must, so we all win.

Click HERE to see Dr. Barber’s remarks in its entirety.