In philanthropy, we are driven by the causes that matter to us and bolstered by the opportunity to generate meaningful change. For years, when I was out in the community or talking with my colleagues about the work of Blue Shield of California Foundation, I would rarely start by describing us as a “policy funder.” […]
An Underutilized Tool For Foundations—Policy Change Read More »
We often hear about streamlining philanthropy – mostly with regards to efforts at simplifying grant applications, approval processes and reporting requirements. Programs such as Project Streamline (complements of the Grants Managers Network) help foundations to do this. Streamlining is great. But sometimes what we really need is a sledgehammer. Some bureaucratic processes are so ridiculous,
Let’s Take a Sledgehammer to Philanthropic Bureaucracy Read More »
We can all probably agree that grantmaking is not the most efficient process in the world – either for grantseekers or grantmakers. Thankfully, there are efforts underway like the Grants Managers Network (GMN) Project Streamline to help add simplicity and sense to the complex work of investing philanthropic dollars. More specifically, Project Streamline helps grantmakers
What Do You Know About Streamlining the Grantmaking Process? Read More »
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National TV show looking for nonprofit leaders Read More »
Site visits are a very valuable tool for funders, because they give you first-hand insight into the places and personalities that will put your charitable investments to work. In-person visits are always best, because they allow you to tour facilities, see programs in action, and observe grantees at work. However, sometimes a grantee can be
Short on Time and Money? Consider a Virtual Site Visit Read More »
Over the past few years, I’ve been working with more and more foundations that choose to actively engage in public policy discussions as part of their missions. That’s encouraging, because when you get right down to it, nothing really changes unless public policy supports a change. But working in public policy can be messy, intimidating
Three Rules to Guide Foundation Policy Efforts Read More »