Assessing your foundation’s work is a tall task, but you have to start from scratch. We’ve created these assessments, guides, and toolkits to help lean funders reflect on their work and help create outsized impact in their communities. These resources are designed for any stage of your philanthropy journey—whether you are planning a brainstorming meeting with your peers or preparing to shift your funding to make a greater impact.

 

10-Minute Impact Assessment

Explore How to Make The Most of Your Giving
This simple tool offers your foundation a framework that you can use to discuss your impact, identify areas of strength, and highlight opportunities for increasing your impact.

 

Practical Board Self-Assessment

Improve Your Foundation’s Effectiveness
Take a thoughtful approach to board assessment so that it’s positive, productive, and even fun for everyone involved.

 

Great Funder–Nonprofit Relationships Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to help funders recognize the aspects of great relationships with your nonprofit partners, assess competencies, and consider ways to improve how to work with one another.

 

Ramping Up for High-Impact Philanthropy

This toolkit is for seasoned donors, donor advised fund holders, foundation trustees, and staff who are taking steps to significantly ramp up the impact of their giving.

 

Media Toolkit

Targeted media strategies can help funders construct meaningful relationships with key audiences and showcase and elevate your organization, your grantees, and the causes most important to you. This is a funder’s guide to engaging with members of the media.

 

Peer Coaching Guide

Peer coaching is a unique opportunity to build stronger connections with other lean funders. Use this guide to help you prepare, process and reflect upon your experiences during peer coaching. Exponent Philanthropy thanks Jen Lachman of Lachman Consulting for her expertise and guidance as we prepared this guide.

 

Peer Circles Guide

Peer circles are a chance for members to convene fellow funders to learn together and network. These conversation groups are primarily based in local communities, but they also can be virtual.

 

 

Racial Equity in Lean Foundations
Reflection Questions and Implementation Ideas

This companion to the annual Racial Equity in Lean Foundations report offers questions for lean funders looking to address racial equity in their foundations and work. It will help you identify strengths and areas for improvement.