Last week I received this email from a foundation CEO: “I do have your book and it’s just fabulous. You are really one of the best sources for meaningful information in the foundation world – Thank you!” I’m not sharing this to toot my own horn. I’m sharing it to emphasize the critical importance of investing […]
Are You Investing in Yourself? Why Not? Read More »
If you want to quickly improve your philanthropy, start by asking yourself these 10 questions. It’s hard to imagine something more inspiring related to collective learning and improvement than research and development teams working with university data scientists to predict COVID-19 hot spots and then placing clinical trials in those places to speed the creation
10 Questions to Improve Your Philanthropy Read More »
You can quickly shift from planning to doing by following these four easy steps. Philanthropy focuses a lot of time and brainpower on the how-to of strategic planning and very little on practical implementation. And yet, if not implemented effectively all your planning will waste time and resources. Change is hard work. So, while
Four Simple Steps to Shift From Planning to Doing Read More »
Long before the pandemic hit, it was clear philanthropy needed an overhaul. But the health and economic crisis, combined with a national racial reckoning, forced grant makers’ hands. Foundations largely rose to the challenge by speeding up their grant making, increasing flexibility, and reducing funding restrictions. But now it appears those changes may be short lived. In the most
A Year of Crisis Forced Foundations to Change Bad Practices Read More »
Just about every aspiring mom (and dad) has big plans and preconceived ideas about what pregnancy and parenthood will be like. You picture the way your life might change, you plan out a nursery, order a crib – it’s pretty straightforward stuff. Straightforward, that is, until you discover you’re having twins! Suddenly, all those plans
Four Lessons Motherhood and Having Twins Taught Me About Philanthropy Read More »
Don’t slide back to your old ways. If you’re like many funders, the changes you made in 2020 were swift and dramatic. You dropped tightly held practices like hot potatoes: loosening funding restrictions, eliminating burdensome policies, offering general operating support, collaborating with new partners, increasing grant payout, and dramatically expanding support for racial justice. As
8 Questions to Maintain Your New “Best Practices” Read More »