Topic Archive
Guest Author
A Transparency Mindset in the Foundation Boardroom
May 21st, 2013
With its recent report, Foundation Transparency: What Nonprofits Want, the Center for Effective Philanthropy examines the nonprofit perspective, outlining the benefits of foundation transparency to the partners we support. As we continue to explore the merits of greater transparency in philanthropy, I propose we add another dimension to the discussion by asking: What about transparency in foundation boardrooms? ...
Documentary Paints a Bleak but Fair Picture of Detroit’s Decline
May 20th, 2013
As organized philanthropy descends upon Detroit for this year’s conference of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, we will confront first-hand one of the most challenging urban environments in our nation. One of the trickiest issues for foundations is how to balance the way we represent the grim reality of cities like Detroit with inspiring accounts of heroic efforts to revive the city. ...
Foundation Transparency: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
May 16th, 2013
As I reviewed “Foundation Transparency: What Nonprofits Want,” the latest publication from the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), I had an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. So I dug deep into the archives to find reports on the subject produced by the organization I now lead, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). ...
Better Funder/Grantee Dialogue: From Elusive to Imperative
May 1st, 2013
I’ll admit, I seek external validation as much as the next person. When I was a Rockefeller Foundation program officer, I wanted to be valued as more than a walking wallet. ...
This Revolution Will Be Improvised
April 10th, 2013
A few weeks ago, I had the great privilege of visiting London, including appointments with senior advisors to Number 10 Downing Street and the UK Cabinet. There, inside the wood-paneled room of Number 10, surrounded by paintings of icons and trophies of the past, the main message I heard was: We cannot do this alone. ...
Opportunity in Communities: Developing the Whole Picture
March 7th, 2013
Three years ago, Opportunity Nation brought together a coalition of over 250 nonprofits, businesses, educational institutions, faith-based groups, community organizations, and individuals with a ten-year goal of expanding economic opportunity and closing the opportunity gap in America. We kicked off our campaign with a listening tour, where we heard from hard-working young people who feared their zip code would affect their lives more than the their GPA. ...
Mission Driven Investing: Philanthropy’s Surprising Returns
February 20th, 2013
“We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own. ...
Three Employee Empowerment Lessons from Show and Tell
January 8th, 2013
“Can I take the puppy to show and tell tomorrow?” Countless children have asked this question of parents. ...
Creating Community at The Commonwealth Fund
January 3rd, 2013
We at The Commonwealth Fund are delighted to have our work featured in the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s latest report, Employee Empowerment, which highlights the key to employee satisfaction. Over the last ten years, we have taken a number of steps to improve staff satisfaction, starting with surveying our staff on a regular basis, and we have been pleased to see the payoff in satisfaction through staff empowerment and building a stronger sense of community within the organization. ...
Survey Says: Understanding Employees’ Perceptions Helps Drive Improvement
December 20th, 2012
A few weeks ago, Kevin Bolduc and Karina Kocemba of CEP were here at the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) to lead an all-staff discussion of the results of our most recent Staff Perception Report. As the meeting wrapped up, Kevin handed me an advance copy of CEP’s new research report by his colleagues Ellie Buteau and Ramya Gopal, Employee Empowerment: The Key to Foundation Staff Satisfaction, figuring I’d find it useful given our Foundation’s experience over the last several years trying to understand and improve staff satisfaction. ...
assessing performance
beneficiary feedback
beneficiary perceptions
communications
community foundations
comparative data
conferences
developing strategy
Donor Perception Report
economy
effective philanthropy
Essentials of Foundation Strategy
foundation effectiveness
foundation governance
foundation performance
foundation staff/program officers
foundation strategy
foundation transparency
Funder/Grantee Relationships
funder/grantee relationships
funder effectiveness
giving strategy
goals
Grantee Perception Report
grantee perspectives
Grantee Voice
indicators
leadership
nonprofit sector
overall foundation performance assessment
performance assessment
performance measurement
philanthropy
role of philanthropy
social media
Staff Perception Report
stakeholder engagement
strategy implementation
youth
YouthTruth
Lessons from a Risk Taken
I really appreciate your willingness to share this and your assessment of what didn't work out as planned or anticipated. Thanks.
I really appreciate your willingness to share this and your assessment of what didn't work out as planned or anticipated. Thanks.
Lessons from a Risk Taken
Jon, thanks for the comment. If there’s one thing we learned, it’s that the cost in time and effort and dollars were all higher than...
Jon, thanks for the comment. If there’s one thing we learned, it’s that the cost in time and effort and dollars were all higher than...
Lessons from a Risk Taken
Thanks for sharing the lessons learned, and what I sense are second thoughts about the cost/benefit of the whole enterprise. I appreciate the thirst for...
Thanks for sharing the lessons learned, and what I sense are second thoughts about the cost/benefit of the whole enterprise. I appreciate the thirst for...
Foundations and Impact Investing: What Is Really Going On?
Great insight. Sometimes it's great to invest in multiple countries as security as the economy in one country might decrease and increase in another.
Great insight. Sometimes it's great to invest in multiple countries as security as the economy in one country might decrease and increase in another.
Foundations and Impact Investing: What Is Really Going On?
Great questions. It is likely still too early to get a handle on whether the (potential) results reflect the hype meaningfully. However, I will be...
Great questions. It is likely still too early to get a handle on whether the (potential) results reflect the hype meaningfully. However, I will be...
