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How to Know You Made a Difference: Grant Impact Reports
Is my giving really making a difference? That is a question that haunts every giver. Every day individuals and foundations make decisions about where to give. Over a million active U.S. charities provide endless opportunities to support big visions and passionate leaders. The difficult task for those of us screening opportunities is how to know... Read More
Put Your Plans Into Action – Not on the Shelf
I once sat on the board of a nonprofit organization that had undertaken what eventually became an award-winning planning process for its property holdings. This effort engaged all staff and board and generated lots of creative energy from the surrounding community. Within a couple months after completing the plan, staff recommended a capital improvement inconsistent... Read More
Beyond Administrative Costs: A Better Way to Judge a Charity
As a program officer, I can remember the hours of sitting with our grants committee reviewing proposals. It seemed that we always spent a large amount of time reviewing each applicant’s budget and other financial information. How I would have loved to include Jack Shakely’s LA Times editorial, The Worst Way to Judge a Charity,... Read More
Giving Anonymously: A Personal Struggle
Historically we have given anonymously in the communities where we live. We have done so because it is a value of ours, because we do not want people to know we have money, because we do not want to make some of our friends uncomfortable, because we feel vulnerable in a world where people with... Read More
How We Made a Small Foundation Internship Work
As one who is not far removed from the trials and tribulations of the modern day job search, I know how much an internship can help guide a jobseeker. I can attribute a nonprofit internship in college for guiding me to where I am today. Furthermore, as a Millennial at a small foundation, I yearn... Read More
Why We Started an Internship at Our Foundation
I have always been a fan of internships. I had several internships in college and remember them fondly. They exposed me to the “real world” and had a profound impact on my professional direction. So it was no surprise that about a year ago, when my program officer, Michael, and I started thinking of ways... Read More