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Best Practices for Virtual Foundation Board Meetings
The idea of virtual board meetings has been around since conference calls first began. However, these often were only used as a last resort and gave way to board retreat weekends filled with activities, catered meals and a focus on community building. The goal of these activities is to help form strong relationships to help... Read More
Key Insights From This Year’s Foundation Operations and Management Report
2020 was difficult for us all. The pandemic changed the nature of work, and how funders interact with their boards, staff and the nonprofits in their communities. Despite these challenges, more than 400 members of the Exponent Philanthropy community participated in the survey informing our 2021 Foundation Operations and Management Report. We thank you—without your... Read More
How We Created Education Programming for Seniors in Our Rural Region
The Chapel Hill Foundation, based in Plattsburgh, New York, in the Adirondack foothills and on the shores of Lake Champlain has a dual mission: enriching the lives of children, and meeting the challenges of an aging society. We’re a small foundation with assets under $2 million, and annual grants totaling about $75,000. One of our... Read More
Lean Funders Reflect on COVID-19 and 2020
2020 was an unexpectedly challenging year. The pandemic changed the nature of work, and how we interact with our boards, staff and the nonprofits in our communities. We asked members of the Exponent Philanthropy community to reflect on COVID-19, how it affected their work in 2020, and what they foresee for 2021. Lean funders stepped... Read More
Combating Climate Change With Your Foundation’s Investment Portfolio
Investing in companies that are adapting, transitioning and innovating around climate change can be an important part of mitigating some of its most harmful effects. At the same time, it might also help your foundation meet its financial goals: research increasingly suggests that on average, corporations with stronger environmental policies may also exhibit stronger corporate... Read More
My Family’s Foundation Entered the Policy Arena, and We Are Not Looking Back
The system needs to change. Like many family foundations, The Wright Family Foundation in Texas receives several worthy requests that we turn down due to lack of funds. Most of our grants are program or project based—reacting to the problems at hand rather than tackling them before they become an issue. Considering this, the foundation... Read More