In the 10-plus years I’ve been a consultant to foundations—and the 20-plus years I’ve been a family foundation trustee—I’ve noticed a phenomenon I’ve come to call the “trustee pendulum.” Trustees often start out very engaged in grantmaking, reviewing all grants (often to organizations they know well) and managing the grantmaking process, which is typically quite... Read More
In honor of our association’s 20th anniversary and the passionate leaders who have helped us grow along the way, we are pleased to launch a regular blog series dedicated to the reflections of our founders, early board members, and others with long careers in philanthropy. What has changed in the field—and in their giving—over the past decades? What... Read More
I owe my passion for leadership development to my dad, a few terrific college professors, and a wonderful group of bosses and mentors. I asked each of these people for all the wisdom they could share. In return, they opened up their hearts and their minds giving me access to their knowledge and experiences. They... 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
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
In June 2017, we hatched a plan. What if we created a survey to gather experience, advice, opinions, and knowledge from our grantmaker and grantseeker communities? (At Foundant, we provide grantmaking software solutions to grantmakers and grantees.) What kind of response would we get? How could we use the information we received to further our... Read More