I’ve been on local television for nearly 30 years, and the recognition that comes with it (especially to an older demographic) drives my 9-year-old son crazy. So when a middle-aged gentleman stopped me in the parking lot of a local restaurant a couple weeks ago, and wanted to know if I was “the news man,”... Read More
This spring in Minneapolis, a group of funders met at the Minneapolis Jewish Federation to learn about updates to their grants management software and step back to think about their impact. As we started to talk about impact, I was asked the two questions I hear in almost every discussion on the subject: What is... Read More
In rural communities with little philanthropic history and endemic, embedded poverty, Janell E. Ray has quickly established two foundations as leaders in health innovation and nonprofit capacity building. Janell serves as CEO of the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington and Executive Director of the Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon, two foundations in West Virginia that continue the... Read More
Who do you turn to for advice on becoming a great trustee or an effective donor, or overcoming on-the-job challenges? As part of our Next Gen Fellows Program, a training program for emerging philanthropic leaders, we launched a mentoring program to pair fellows with seasoned practitioners. It taught us just how valuable mentoring can be... Read More
Let’s say you own a company that makes energy bars. You wouldn’t dream of releasing a new product line without seeing if your fitness-focused target buyers liked it. Similarly, a foundation should not launch a new grant program without checking in with the intended recipients to see if it’s what they really need. Why don’t... Read More
At Exponent Philanthropy, we believe that listening is an essential skill for effective philanthropy. Deep listening helps our members truly understand the needs of their community and cultivate connected and impactful relationships with others. At the same time, listening is a skill that very few of us are ever trained to do well. Once you’re... Read More