The first blog in a 3-part series When Fran Sykes, founder and president of Pascale Sykes Foundation, tells people she is purposely closing her foundation’s doors in four years as a conscientious business strategy, people seem puzzled. Why would anyone purposely go out of business? Like many foundations, Pascale Sykes was originally established in perpetuity.... Read More
The “coach approach” is a skillset and mindset that can transform the key relationships in your philanthropic work. Using deep listening and powerful questions, the “coach approach” helps you gain awareness, discover new ways of thinking, and focus on creating collaborative solutions. During this webinar, you will learn the basics of the approach and hear... Read More
Regular performance evaluations—at least once a year—can help staff improve their work. The board evaluates the foundation’s lead staff person (i.e., executive director, foundation administrator, CEO). In turn, the lead staff person evaluates other staff members and consultants (as applicable). In some cases, staff members evaluate themselves and then compare their assessments with their supervisor.... Read More
At its core, CEO evaluation involves two basic steps: defining the CEO’s job responsibilities and checking back at a later point to determine if the responsibilities were met. Keep in mind: Although formal evaluation is an important component of a good working relationship, it is not a substitute for ongoing communication. CEOs need feedback year... Read More
A records retention policy is a simple written document—one or two pages—that summarizes your procedures for storing, organizing, purging, archiving, and protecting foundation documents and fulfilling public reporting requirements. A records retention policy typically includes the following information: What documents you store and how long you store them Where you store different types of documents:... Read More
Don’t spend your days dreaming of more engaged members. Here are some ideas to get your trustees’ attention and breathe some life into your board: Communicate with your trustees–Ask them (either individually or as a group) what they want out of board service. Are they satisfied with the way things are? What would they like... Read More