Voices from the Field

Everyone wants to help during a crisis, and, for many, that means giving money. But few understand what it takes to distribute funds to the people, businesses, or nonprofits that will create the greatest impact and fulfill the most need—especially if the money lives in different funds at different organizations… Read More

The idea of impact investing tends to divide people into two groups. Some believe it is the best-of-both-worlds; a way to invest that bolsters their mission while generating competitive returns. Others fear that it is too-good-to-be-true; a distraction that cannot consistently produce returns that are comparable to traditional investing models. … Read More

The holidays are just around the corner, which means that American non-profits and charitable organizations across the country are gearing up for end-of-year giving campaigns… Read More

Even when we aspire to fund the right things, the ways in which we provide that funding run the risk of undermining the transformative potential of such work. As funders, we desperately need to learn how to let go and get out of the way… Read More

Equity has been like coconut water. It’s all over the place. It’s flavored with pineapple, sometimes with chocolate. Everyone is drinking Equity; it’s on websites, in conference themes, and in those “word-cloud” thingies. Given how pervasive it is, it’s weird that we don’t seem to have a common, universally-accepted definition for it… Read More

For every day of immediate relief, there are at least ten days required for mid-term recovery and at least 100 days for long-term recovery. Based on that estimate, people will be recovering from hurricane Harvey for at least three years and probably longer… Read More

Does your philanthropy need a little renovation? Do your nonprofit partners need a bit of sprucing up?… Read More

Too often, people in Washington have the impression that philanthropy can step in to make up for the loss of federal revenue that will occur when steep tax cuts are enacted. We in philanthropy know this is a fallacy of supreme proportions… Read More