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None of Us Has Any Wiggle Room on This
Throughout the year, 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 sparked many positive notes in return, and I’m pleased to share it here with our broader community. I’ve... Read More
Are You the Bottleneck to Effective Giving?
Originally published by Forbes (February 19, 2018) Are you damming up philanthropic progress by paralyzing decision making and workflow? Nature abhors a bottleneck. Take a look at any stream or river and you’ll see what happens when debris piles up. The water will eventually find a way around, over or through, and the results can... Read More
Equity: It’s Not Just an Urban Issue
Over the past few years, there has been an uptick in conversations, meetings, and efforts to embrace equity in philanthropy. Sometimes we see this growing interest manifest as a new portfolio; sometimes it’s embedded in a revised mission and vision. This movement has been a long time coming, and there are many who have toiled... Read More
How Planning to Close Her Foundation’s Doors Was the Right Business Model
The first blog in a 3-part series When Fran Sykes, founder and president of Pascale Sykes Foundation, tells people she is purposely closing her foundation’s doors in four years as a conscientious business strategy, people seem puzzled. Why would anyone purposely go out of business? Like many foundations, Pascale Sykes was originally established in perpetuity.... Read More
National Funder, Local Influence: How To Be Mindful of Your Playing Field
I work for a foundation that is modestly young in the national grantmaking sector. At about four years into its current field, we can’t quite say we’re the new kid on the block anymore, but we’ve certainly seen a rapid amount of structural change since we first launched. Transitioning from a scholarship fund to an... Read More
Find Your Guiding Purpose in Philanthropy
Contributing your full self, the best that you can be, is important in any kind of enterprise. In small-staffed philanthropy, it’s essential. Small funders who’ve made significant, outsized impact often say the knowledge, relationships, “street savvy,” and reputation they leveraged played the crucial role. They will say, “Money wasn’t the most important thing. It was... Read More