Many years ago, Sister Janice of the Sisters of Notre Dame advised me to “never confuse the expression of religion with the essence of religion.” Amid Passover, Easter, and Ramadan, her words ring truer now than ever as COVID-19 makes us reassess how we celebrate these holy days. This Passover, a computer monitor was center... Read More
The headline of an April 27, 2020 article in the San Francisco Chronicle read: Coronavirus and the law: California suspends bar exam this summer Taking the bar exam is like childbirth. A grueling multi-day process with pain and trauma that you somehow forget on a day to day basis, but upon mention of the activity,... Read More
Diversity and racial equity touch on every aspect of a foundation’s work. In the blog posts Developing a Shared Language and Introducing an Anti-Racist Intersectional Frame, we discussed how philanthropy can advance racial equity. In this post, we lay out three ways you can start doing racial equity work in real time. 1. Look Internally... Read More
As practitioners, advisors and consultants to funders, conveners and conductors of community collaboration, we have observed collaboration and collective impact in communities across the country. From our on-the-ground experience, we have seen it done well, and not so well. The first of this two-blog series provided several guideposts for how funders can better see the... Read More
Equity is a buzzword heard seemingly everywhere these days. For some, equity is about opportunity. For others, it’s the full inclusion of an entire region’s residents in the economic, social and political life of the area. In the nonprofit and philanthropic space, equity is undeniably central to our mission, despite its varying definitions. Commissioning an... Read More
2020 was difficult for us all. The pandemic changed the nature of work, and how funders interact with their boards, staff and the nonprofits in their communities. Despite these challenges, more than 400 members of the Exponent Philanthropy community participated in the survey informing our 2021 Foundation Operations and Management Report. We thank you—without your... Read More