innovation

Dare to Dream: Your Summer Philanthropy Challenge

How Will Your Summer Redefine the Power of Philanthropy?   Summertime has arrived! Yes, it’s time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the sweet languor of the lazy summer vacation. Whether you’re soaking up the sun on a pristine beach, exploring the rugged beauty of the mountains, or simply enjoying the tranquility of your backyard, […]

Dare to Dream: Your Summer Philanthropy Challenge Read More »

Are You Really Learning and Improving?

6 Questions to Regularly Ask Yourself and Your Partners 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 forget to intentionally learn from their initial piloting and testing of strategies so that they can make early modifications and course

Are You Really Learning and Improving? Read More »

Shouting into the Mouth of a Cave

A colleague of mine recently forwarded a query from a funder that was looking to be more innovative in its grantmaking. This funder asked several questions of colleagues, such as: How many grantmaking staff do you have? How many grant cycles do you conduct each year? Do you offer grants for programs? Operations? Capacity building?

Shouting into the Mouth of a Cave Read More »

Innovation and Philanthropy: It Doesn’t Have to be Complicated!

1. Don’t innovate for innovation’s sake. All efforts at innovation should be in pursuit of a compelling reason. Further, that compelling reason should align with a foundation’s mission and vision. While funding a new app may sound fun, if the new app doesn’t directly impact an audience or issue you’ve targeted, leave it to someone

Innovation and Philanthropy: It Doesn’t Have to be Complicated! Read More »

What Does Innovation Mean?

The word “innovation” is ubiquitous in philanthropy. It’s a concept that few foundations have defined, yet many are eager to fund. No surprise, then, that foundations often request “innovative ideas” from their grantees but fail to accomplish the same thing internally. When a funder doesn’t create a clear definition of innovation or understanding of how

What Does Innovation Mean? Read More »

Innovation is for Everyone

“Innovation” is one of those terms with many connotations, so it’s important to consider what you mean when you use it in your philanthropy. If you don’t have a clear definition, it leaves the onus to define and deliver innovation completely up to others, or it implies that innovation is something that “just happens.” Further,

Innovation is for Everyone Read More »

Download a Sample Chapter of Delusional Altruism Now!

Just provide us with your name and email and receive this sample.
 

Download the Article Now!

Just provide us with your name and email and receive this article.