What are we trying to achieve with our grants? You can answer this question in many ways, and one way to start is with how and what you fund. These components shape your philanthropic orientation, the unique way that your foundation approaches the funding process. The how of your giving hinges on how you choose... Read More
From tough economic times come smart strategies like the following that are worth keeping in mind in good times as well as bad. Revisit your goals As foundation leaders face tough decisions, many are stepping back to reconsider their guiding principles, including mission, vision, and values—a good practice from time to time in any grantmaking... Read More
Not long ago, Exponent Philanthropy convened eight funders interested in focusing their giving. Over the course of our 7 months together, we named several rationalizations for not focusing. Have you used or heard any yourself? We share the following five and include ways to move past them. Misconception: Good deeds and good intentions will lead... Read More
Developmental evaluation is a hot topic in philanthropy today. It emerged in response to the need for real-time learning in complex and emerging situations—just the situations in which funders tend to find themselves when working with others to find innovative solutions to social problems. “Evaluation is about critical thinking; development is about creative thinking,” writes... Read More
Exponent Philanthropy member Janis Reischmann of the Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation has spent the past several years working in a close partnership with 10 nonprofits to bring hope to some of Hawaii’s most disenfranchised youths. “The approaches used by our partners are reaching children who were previously very difficult to engage and challenged by typical... Read More
On an individual level, empathy is the ability to reach beyond ourselves and connect in a deeper way with other people—to understand their experiences, to get where they’re coming from, to feel what they feel. Widespread empathy scales that intuition from the individual to the organization. It connects a foundation’s staff and board to the... Read More