Originally posted to GrantCraft’s blog “It must be so fun to give money away!” We’ve all heard this reaction when we tell people we are staff or board members of a grantmaking organization. And, yes, it is fun. But it’s also hard work. Good grantmaking, as we know, is about far more than reading piles... Read More
Can we recover from the pandemic while becoming a more equitable society? Food, housing and financial security are rightly our philanthropic priorities right now. Yet, our country is calling on us to heal persistent divides and right structural wrongs. Humanities organizations could play a pivotal role. The humanities suffer benign neglect in philanthropy. Many funders... Read More
This article was originally published in the July/August 2021 issue of Taxation of Exempts, a Thomson Reuters journal. In the philanthropy and nonprofit field, training and development for boards of directors has traditionally focused on basic, fundamental roles and responsibilities. Common topics include: the duties of board members; legal compliance; providing strategic direction; hiring and... Read More
Foundations are always looking for leverage. Where and how can we invest our limited assets to get the best returns? Will our grantees survive these times of shrinking resources and growing needs? As investors in the nonprofit sector who look for innovative ways to maximize our efforts, we must challenge ourselves to better support and... Read More
Over 20 years ago, the Anna B. Stearns Charitable Foundation launched its Girls’ Initiative to amplify support for women and girls. More recently, the foundation’s board, historically mostly women, expanded its equity and inclusion focus to include race and culture for both grantmaking and board composition. Leadership sees its own diversity as essential to driving... Read More
A leadership succession plan is an essential source of guidance, and a commitment to organizational stability, when foundation transitions occur. Specifically, this written document identifies a course of action for when key leaders depart, whether planned or unplanned, permanent or temporary. To illustrate, consider what happened to one of our members: “Our foundation had succession... Read More