Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about A Million Dominoes.

What are A Million Dominoes?

A Million Dominoes involves an exceptionally positive impact that ripples outward, significantly improving a cause area or the broader social sector ecosystem.

Can This Ripple Effect Be Achieved?

We believe so, although there is no foolproof formula for doing so. However, the examples featured on our Stories of Impact Page point to two important  patterns: Addressing solvable bottlenecks, and strengthening critical linchpins to make organizations, platforms, and networks more effective.

If These Opportunities Exist, Why Aren’t They Already Being Funded?

They Are Too Broad and Cross-Cutting

Some of the most promising opportunities are too broad to fit neatly within predetermined funding priorities, strategic objectives, or areas of focus. Although some may offer an exceptional social ROI, they often receive far less attention than their potential impact warrants.

Horizontal Approaches are Significantly Less Familiar to Funders

Most funding involves what we refer to as Vertical Philanthropy: focusing on a single cause, population, organization, strategy, or geography. Most funders are naturally more familiar with this approach and may be less likely to recognize opportunities that operate horizontally.

Nonetheless, Horizontal Philanthropy can produce far-reaching impact by benefiting many people, nonprofits, communities, causes, and environments with the same dollars. Examples include funders who supported  far-reaching organizations such as the Charities Aid Foundation, Grameen Bank, TechSoup, Candid, Charity Navigator, GoFundMe, and GivingTuesday.

Is A Million Dominoes’ Goal to Strengthen Social Sector Ecosystem or support funders?

Both. One key challenge is that many funders are not inspired to support it because they are unaware of how much they can accomplish by doing so. A Million Dominoes helps funders identify high-leverage opportunities that both inspire investment and strengthen the broader social sector.

Identifying the Critical Linchpin

A Million Dominoes focuses on identifying critical linchpins—capabilities, strategies, partnerships, technologies, initiatives, staffing positions, and other leverage points with the potential to generate an exceptional social ROI.

What Does the A Million Dominoes Team Do?

Propel Philanthropy, Catalyst Now, and others work as a collaborative team of experienced philanthropists, including funders, to identify and evaluate potential A Million Dominoes opportunities. We operate collaboratively rather than through a top-down model.

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Our team looks for opportunities that:

  • Appear capable of generating extensive impact relative to the investment required.
  • Demonstrate a clear path to observable or measurable results.
  • Have demonstrated promise through pilots, previous results, or strong supporting evidence.
  • Could potentially strengthen the broader social sector ecosystem.
  • Could potentially produce results that can be reported on and ideally verified.
  • Allow funders to begin with relatively modest investments.

How We Help Funders and the Social Sector Ecosystem

We share promising findings openly with interested funders. We do so free of charge as our way of serving funders and strengthening the social sector ecosystem.

About Us:

Propel Philanthropy was founded by Peter Brach in 2022 to help funders identify high leverage opportunities capable of creating far-reaching social impact.

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Propel has collaborated with Alliance Magazine and WINGS to publish two series highlighting Social Sector Infrastructure Organizations and now partners with Catalyst Now to advance the A Million Dominoes initiative.

Catalyst Now (formerly Catalyst 2030) is a global movement launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020.

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Catalyst Now has built a highly engaged community of more than 6,000 social innovators representing over 4,250 organizations across 156 countries.

We are also joined by funders and other experienced professionals who share an interest in identifying opportunities capable of creating unusually catalytic and far-reaching social impact.

Join Our Efforts

We welcome funders, nonprofit leaders, researchers, and other changemaker interested in identifying and advancing opportunities that can create far-reaching, positive change.