This morning I found myself thinking about lessons learned about inspiration in grantmaking from the Girl Scout troop I co-led for many years. Our girls didn’t do grantmaking, of course, but they did do a lot of community service projects. Several of our 11- to 14-year-olds earned the Silver Award, where the girl selects, plans,... Read More
Our goal is to make the McElroy Trust the easiest place to seek funding for good ideas. It’s not the easiest place to get a “yes,” because we see a lot of proposals, ask hard questions, and have high standards. But we try to never make a grantseeker jump through hoops. I estimate that changes... Read More
Each quarter, I write to our member donors to pass along insights I gather in my dual role as Exponent Philanthropy member and CEO, and to provide a special window onto our activities. My most recent communication—sent last month—sparked many positive notes in return, from donors who found it helpful personally and in working with... Read More
This is the first of a 3-part series to help funders leverage relationships with traditional media, following the launch of A Funder’s Guide to Engaging With Members of the Media for Exponent Philanthropy members and the webinar Leveraging Media to Advance Your Philanthropic Goals (recording available for members). See other posts in this series Over... Read More
I have spent my career at foundations, nonprofits, think tanks, universities, and multinational organizations. I have enjoyed elucidating the root causes of complex problems, but I have been frustrated many times by the sector’s inability to generate effective solutions. In 2010, I attended a Stanford alumni event, where I heard a professor speak about design... Read More
Executive Director Colleen O’Keefe of the Sauer Children’s Renew Foundation in St. Paul, Minnesota, embarked on a listening tour to inform the foundation’s work on behalf of the state’s foster care children and youth. Colleen blogged about the tour, and, recently, our Senior Program Director Sara Beggs interviewed her to learn even more, including what... Read More