Eager to pilot our new Grantee and Applicant Perception Survey with her grantees, Meg Ramsey (The Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation, Lincoln, MA) was especially interested to learn what her grantees were thinking about the foundation’s grant process, reporting, and site visits. Anonymity was key, so her grantees did not feel that providing constructive criticism or... Read More
Adapted from materials created by Jessica Bearman, Mark Sedway, and Rusty Stahl for the Talent Philanthropy Toolkit (Version 1.0) Between 1992 and 2011, according to research by Talent Philanthropy, foundations devoted less than 1% of grant dollars toward supporting the recruitment, retention, compensation, development, or retirement of nonprofit talent. In fact, the signals grantmakers send often... Read More
Our foundation’s work in the child welfare system has shown me, once again, that life is powered by relationships and connections. Today, Exponent Philanthropy released the latest video in its Philanthropy Lessons series: Philanthropy Lessons: Working Collaboratively. It echoes how I feel about our foundation’s efforts to improve the child welfare system: We all need... Read More
I spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital last fall. I wasn’t the patient, although in countless hours beside my wife’s bedside, I had considerable time to think, observe, and learn. Thankfully, with much credit to her doctors and medical team, all signs are now positive. What became evident to me... Read More
Today Exponent Philanthropy releases “Philanthropy Lessons: The Power Dynamic,” the latest video in its 9-part Philanthropy Lessons series: It explores the dynamics of grantor/grantee relationships, and I encourage you to weigh in with your thoughts and practical ideas about managing these dynamics. You can share your comments and ideas below, at www.philanthropylessons.org, or via... 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