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
Developmental evaluation is a hot topic in philanthropy today. It emerged in response to the need for real-time learning in complex and emerging situations—just the situations in which funders tend to find themselves when working with others to find innovative solutions to social problems. “Evaluation is about critical thinking; development is about creative thinking,” writes... Read More
Without open, honest conversations, funders can’t learn what nonprofits really need to deliver outcomes desired by funders, grantees, and, most of all, people and communities in need. One of the biggest barriers to getting the complete story is the lack of trust between funders and grantees. Another task is creating the conditions necessary to listen... Read More
Generally, a worker may be classified as an independent contractor if the employer has the right to control or direct the result of the work but not the means or methods of accomplishing the result. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses a 20-factor test to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent... Read More
People say that one can be overtaken by vast waves of love and despair in Africa. “This is poverty,” warns Unitus Vice President Kate Cochran. “More palpable, deeper, and somehow more stark than anyplace else on the planet.” It took me decades to get to Africa. My early years were preoccupied with the privileges that... Read More
“Innovation is in the eye of the beholder,” says Sandy Herz, director of global partnerships at the Skoll Foundation. “Different foundations see it in different ways.” Convening grantees may be innovative for some foundations, even though others have been doing so for years. Or, another foundation might add program related investments to its grantmaking portfolio,... Read More