Strategic, Responsive, or Both?
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
August 2, 2016
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Practical Tips for Philanthropists
Kris Putnam-Walkerly is a philanthropy expert and consultant. If you find Practical Tips for Philanthropists useful, please consider subscribing.
4 Steps for Fostering Innovation
Too often foundations request “innovative ideas” from their grantees but fail to accomplish the same thing internally — or even define what “innovation” means to
July 26, 2016
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Embrace Abundance!
In my experience, one thing holds philanthropists back from achieving dramatic impact on the issues and causes they care most about: They have a poverty
July 19, 2016
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Collected Wisdom for Grantmakers
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
July 18, 2016
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Five ways to avoid delusional altruism
This post was originally published on Smart Business. It is reposted here with permission. Good businesses pride themselves on the good they do for others,
July 12, 2016
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Collaboration 101
Foundations often expect nonprofits to collaborate, yet they less frequently turn that expectation on themselves. There is tremendous opportunity to exponentially expand the impact of
July 12, 2016
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Learning How to Learn
Most philanthropies seek to be strategic and have an impact. Yet few build their own internal capacity to be strategic grantmakers. In particular, most funders
July 6, 2016
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Summer Daydreaming is the Perfect Time to Re-Imagine Philanthropy
School’s out and summer is here! Time to pursue that great American pastime – the lazy summer vacation. Be it at the beach, in the mountains,
June 29, 2016
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8 Tools Grantmakers Frequently Forget to Use
When most people think about philanthropy, it’s all about the money. But cold, hard cash is just one of many tools in a grantmaker’s tool
June 27, 2016
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Isn’t This Supposed to be Fun? 5 Ways to Put the Joy Back in Philanthropy
We all know the feeling. When that sense of excitement and possibility on the drive to work is replaced by stress, dread or boredom. What’s
June 21, 2016
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Speaking with One Voice: 5 Tips for Joint Public Statements
Once upon a time, it was unheard of for a foundation to engage in any kind of discourse involving public policy. Now, it’s becoming more
June 6, 2016
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Boardroom Battles: 5 Ways to Move Beyond Conflict
Over the last 15 years, I’ve consulted with a few clients who, in the midst of our strategic planning sessions or evaluation efforts, must deal
June 2, 2016
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