Managing Operations

Managing a foundation’s operations, from grantmaking characteristics to staffing levels, is a challenge.  

CEP has written several case studies and reports on exemplary practices in managing operations:

Download the report Read an excerpt	Working with Grantees: The Keys to Success and Five Program Officers Who Exemplify Them (2010) explores what grantees value in their relationships with program officers and identifies four keys to success. Five high-performing program officers share their stories.
Download the report Read an excerpt	More than Money: Making a Difference with Assistance Beyond the Grant (2008) reveals that despite the significant attention and energy — not to mention financial resources — foundations devote to providing assistance beyond the grant, much of it appears to be ineffective. This report highlights the most effective approaches to strengthening grantees.
Download the report Read an excerpt	Foundation Communications: The Grantee Perspective (2006) outlines the key components of effective communications with grantees and argues for a more holistic approach to foundation communications than is often practiced today.
Download the report Read an excerpt	“Luck of the Draw,” Stanford Social Innovation Review (Spring 2007) details how grantee experiences are affected by differences in the quality of program officers, even within a single foundation, and discusses how foundation leaders might best support improved program-officer performance.
Download the report Read an excerpt	Improving the Grantee Experience at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (2008) describes how leaders at Packard identified and translated the elements of quality interactions and clear communications with grantees into specific work standards for their staff.

To assist foundation leaders in managing operations, we provide several assessment tools on a fee basis, including the Operational Benchmarking and Staff Perception Reports.