In 1993, well before I left my job as CEO of Applied Materials, my wife Becky and I started our family foundation. Giving brings us joy. At the same time, we thought giving locally was important in Silicon Valley, where great need exists alongside great wealth. Becky and I wanted to identify good nonprofits and... 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
What is a net grant and why does it matter? Well, time is money and grantees incur costs while applying for grants. For instance, think about how long it could take a nonprofit to customize their financial documents to your specifications, and language to your unique questions and formatting. According to Project Streamline, nonprofits can... Read More
As a co-founder of Impact100 Philadelphia with my colleague Beth Dahle, I have worked in collective giving for the past 14 years. That means: Thinking about member recruitment, engagement and management This year, we have 454 women members who joined to have their individual donations pooled into our larger collective grants to nonprofits in the... Read More
For the past 30 years, I have had the privilege of working in leadership positions at nonprofit organizations from local through international regions. I also have worked as a consultant for nonprofits doing strategic planning, staff and board development, and fundraising. I know firsthand what it’s like to run programs, engage in advocacy, and have... Read More
Building trust has been a key part of philanthropy for years for lean funders. Nevertheless, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, trust and strong relationships have taken on an even greater significance. Building strong relationships with grantees doesn’t happen overnight. But from our research, we know that lean funders are perfectly positioned... Read More