As funders, you may participate in board meetings and site visits, committee meetings and funder collaboratives, grantee convenings and focus groups, staff meetings, and more. Having adept facilitation skills can make these gatherings more efficient, engaging and enjoyable for all. Here are ten ways to boost your facilitation skills: 1. Plan, Plan, Plan Most facilitation... Read More
Mentorship is an elusive idea. Magazines are full of advice on building and maintaining most kinds of relationships (employment, marriage, parenting), but there are few road maps for finding and nurturing mentorships. This despite the fact that most, if not all, leaders will include the support they received from mentors as part of their recipes... Read More
Philanthropy, from the Greek word for “to love humanity,” is inherently a human enterprise. In this business of helping to solve complicated social problems, we’re bound by the opportunities and challenges of working with other people to do so. It can be emotional work, and it’s work that involves very diverse people who span different... Read More
Discovering effective nonprofits isn’t a matter of chance; it’s a journey of cultivation. As a donor, you can support and strengthen the nonprofits most aligned with your goals. Identifying the impact you want to make can help narrow the field of potential grantees to those that fit your values. This also opens opportunities to foster... Read More
Leanly staffed family foundations can punch well above their weight, working with other funders and grantees to change systems. Over the past eight years, the Thornburg Foundation has experienced this firsthand. Given the depth of the challenges facing the state of New Mexico, systemic change is particularly important to our board chair and founder, Garrett... Read More
There is no one path to having a career in leanly staffed foundations, as they operate in almost every locale in the nation. Still, there are qualities, skills and experiences that prepare people to effectively manage small foundation operations, engage boards, and leverage resources for impact. Patterns in Hiring First, let’s look at some career... Read More