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Three Things That Local Organizations Know But Foundations Often Miss

Confident Giving Newsletter, family foundation, family philanthropy, foundation, Strategy /

The Putnam team recently authored two case studies for Casey Family Programs about their Communities of Hope initiative. In Hagerstown, Maryland and Gainesville, Florida, we explored collaborations among local agencies to improve conditions and opportunities for families and children. These projects were wide-reaching and complex – just like the myriad of issues they seek to address. But in both, we saw […]

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Are You Selling Yourself Short?

Business, Community foundation, Confident Giving Newsletter, family foundation, foundation, nonprofit, Philanthropy /

When you think about your work in philanthropy, are you selling yourself short? If so, you could be shortchanging your foundation’s effectiveness – and therefore its mission – as well. Some of the most sincere people I know in philanthropy bring a very astute sense of servant leadership to their work. They always put the

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The Power of Small

communication, Confident Giving Newsletter, family foundation, foundation, Strategy /

I’ve been thinking small lately. To be specific, I’ve been thinking about small foundations and the immense power they hold. I’ve just finished presenting at Exponent Philanthropy’s conference and met a number of highly engaged and courageous small-foundation grantmakers who are eager to tap into their own power for change. I led a workshop for

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Strategic, Responsive, or Both?

Confident Giving Newsletter, consultant, family foundation, leadership, nonprofit, Philanthropy, Strategy /

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about funders weighing the options between strategic grantmaking and responsive grantmaking. The general angst seems to come from a sense that all funding must be strategic in order to make a difference. While it’s true that strategic philanthropy (as described below) can lead to broader or deeper outcomes, there

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4 Steps for Fostering Innovation

2 Comments / career, Confident Giving Newsletter, consultant, family foundation, foundation, nonprofit, Philanthropy /

Too often foundations request “innovative ideas” from their grantees but fail to accomplish the same thing internally — or even define what “innovation” means to them. The implied assumption is that innovation “just happens.” Further, lack of clear definition has come to imply that innovation must be a dramatic, game-changing, disruptive new idea or practice:

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Collected Wisdom for Grantmakers

1 Comment / Confident Giving Newsletter, consultant, consulting, family foundation, family philanthropy, nonprofit, Philanthropy, Philanthropy Trend, Strategy, Working with consultants /

This week, instead of sharing one point of wisdom, I’d like to share many – 46 of them, in fact. That’s how many entries you’ll find in my newly published book, Confident Giving: Sage Advice for Funders. Why write a book? While a blog is great for sharing advice and helpful content in small, quick bursts

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