You won’t find bullies on every board, but, when you do, they can be very disruptive—creating surprisingly high levels of stress for fellow board members and damaging the integrity, effectiveness, and impact of the board’s work. Be careful not to assume the other party to any difficult conversation is a bully. Some people engage in... Read More
Can greater cultural competency help funders better align their resources with needs? Despite notable accomplishments and donors who care a great deal about serving historically underserved populations, philanthropy continues to struggle to achieve social change for the communities and populations that need it most. Even the most thoughtful and productive philanthropists—including those who aim to... Read More
The Lerner Foundation had only been making grants for five years when the winds shifted—the board of directors decided it was time for a profound change in our priorities. Our founding purpose is simple and straightforward: “to further opportunity for the people of Maine.” Manny and Polly Lerner’s broad and hopeful intention gave us the... Read More
How to catalyze impact for the environment using venture philanthropy—three perspectives from our new member Howell Conservation Fund I’m Brett Howell, founder of Howell Conservation Fund, and a new member of Exponent Philanthropy. My mission is to catalyze teams to achieve breakthrough solutions to the systemic sustainability issues we face on our planet. As a... Read More
Oscar Wilde once said, “To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.” Many philanthropists these days consider themselves at the cutting edge of innovation and problem-solving. Perhaps at a programmatic level we are, since through philanthropy we have eradicated age-old diseases, supported mass social movements, and turned around entire cities. Yet despite our modern... Read More
I had one of my more interesting and productive meetings with two colleagues the other day. Like me, these colleagues are both executive directors of grantmaking foundations that work in our community. One has tenure of more than 15 years, and I have known him for those years and more. The other is celebrating his... Read More