I went on “sabbatical”! I was still working every day, but my wonderful board gave me “mission time.” Yes, you heard correctly. I was given 3 months to think about our foundation’s mission, its work, and our processes. What exactly does this mean? Well, to start, we temporarily closed our online portal and skipped a... Read More
As a foundation, it can be difficult to find ways (beyond making grants) to support our grantees and, at the same time, improve their visibility in their communities and the wider world. With this challenge in mind, the foundation’s board of directors and I developed a two-pronged project inspired by a webinar I attended in... Read More
It is a risky proposition to take issue with any advice offered by Warren Buffett. Recently Marc Gunther, a notable philanthropy and sustainability reporter, wrote an article entitled Warren Buffett Has Some Excellent Advice For Foundations That They Probably Won’t Take. In the article, Mr. Gunther quotes part of the renowned investor’s annual letter: “When... Read More
Today is Equal Pay Day, the day when women’s earnings “catch up” to men’s earnings from the previous year. The average American woman would have to continue to work through this date in 2017 to earn as much as the average American man in 2016. The Pay Equity Landscape According to the most recent data,... Read More
Often in the complex funder–nonprofit relationship, it seems nonprofits do the asking, reporting, and proving, while donors sit in positions to say yes or no, how much, when, and what’s required. Achieving a different, deeper relationship takes more than just good intentions—it takes flexibility, finesse, and a sincere desire to acknowledge and address the power... Read More
Originally appeared on TPI’s Deep Social Impact blog (August 3, 2016) The recent USA Giving Report shared the good news that last year there was an increase in international giving stemming from the U.S. However, many people still see barriers to global giving. Those obstacles include the fear of corruption and dollars being wasted, the... Read More