If you believe your foundation’s only asset is money, think again! Whether managed by volunteers or with the help of staff, your foundation is sure to have a range of assets at its disposal: Human assets—The creativity, passion, energy, and resourcefulness of your founders, trustees, and staff create huge potential for impact above and beyond... Read More
What are some key elements of a grantmaking strategy? A mission statement, which is informed by the donor’s intent and objectives A statement of purpose, defined by program interests, geographic focus, grantmaking style A process for accepting, reviewing, and awarding grants A set of guidelines that inform the grantseeking community about what the foundation does... Read More
In the wake of the dramatic economic downturn in 2008, Exponent Philanthropy heard the following from our conversations throughout 2009 with nearly 400 foundation members: Members stayed the course—Although most members shared concerns about the economy and discussed changes at their foundations in response, they also spoke of business as usual—or, to the best of... Read More
This article suggests that it will be useful for foundations to think about investment manager due diligence in a different conceptual framework than typically has been used in the past. The typical framework has had two major elements: Investment due diligence Operational due diligence This article suggests that investors, including foundations, will be well-served by... Read More
Foundations can take different approaches to rebalancing a portfolio, whether driven by the market, performance, or the calendar. Calendar or periodic rebalancing at specified times (monthly, quarterly, or annually)—Rebalancing can be set to return to a specific target allocation each time. It also can be set to return to an allowable range within a set... Read More
Foundations use software for some of the following tasks: preparing mailing labels, creating lists of grantees, recalling grant history, tracking outstanding commitments, sharing grant requests with other trustees online, and tracking letters and reports from grantees. Assessing your needs Any computer consultant will tell you that the first step in choosing software is to take... Read More