Pluralism in Family Philanthropy: Navigating Tensions and Bridging Divides for Impact

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Uma Viswanathan, Tegan Acton, Heather Templeton Dill, Brian Hooks, Nicholas A. Tedesco

Group of people of on top of the mountain at sunset
In an increasingly divisive society, people are facing complex, challenging dialogues around politics, ethics, and social issues, struggling to manage perspectives across the political aisle and facilitate healthy discourse with multiple viewpoints. What is taking place on a macro scale is mirrored within individual families—difficult conversations, distinct political and cultural divides, and in many cases gridlock or an inability to… Read More

Community Foundation Spark Session: Strategy Conversations with Donors

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Kim Montez, Melinda Mosier, Tony Macklin

Across income brackets, most donors are satisfied with philanthropy as an expression of personal commitment, belonging, or faith. Some start asking questions about intentionality and impact, seeking advice from peers and experts. What tools and techniques do community foundations use to help these donors move from discovery to intent, intent to strategy, and strategy to action? How might those tools… Read More

Practicing the Equitable Evaluation Framework™

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Katy Pelissier, Kimberlee Salmond, Henriët Hendriks, Marcia Coné

As philanthropy evolves and moves to centering equity, assessment, research, learning, and evaluation strategies must also evolve. What is the Equitable Evaluation Framework (EEF) and how do we engage with the EEF? Join your colleagues in a conversation about how they are seeding and growing a field of EEF practitioners to shift the paradigm. About this Series The monthly Fundamentals… Read More

Impact Investing: Aligning All Capital for Good

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Erika Seth Davies, Kathleen Simpson, Melanie Audette, Doug Bitonti Stewart

Impact investing is a powerful tool to align and maximize assets for good. The practice is growing increasingly common, yet many families are in search of guidance on how to begin or accelerate their impact investing pursuits. Join us to explore the fundamentals of impact investing, and learn more about structures like mission- and program-related investments as well as legal… Read More

Reducing the Administrative Burden through Fiscal Sponsorship

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Kyle Peterson, Yvonne Moore, Tony Macklin

Administration is often a hurdle to scaling impact. Because of this, an increasing number of donors are leveraging giving vehicles with less administrative burden and more legal, financial, and investment support. Fiscal sponsorships and other intermediary partners provide an option for giving families that want to build a philanthropic effort, but do not want to administer a separate entity for… Read More

Mapping Change: Using a Theory of Change to Guide Planning and Evaluation

Posted on October 26, 2021 by GrantCraft

This brief guide explains why grantmakers use theories of change to guide their questioning, unearth assumptions that underlie their work, establish common language, and develop strong action plans. Contributors to the guide also describe how a theory of change sets the stage for evaluation by clarifying goals, strategies, and milestones… Read More

Reimagining Capacity Building: Navigating Culture, Systems & Power

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

Strengthening nonprofit organizations is not just a nice-to-have but an essential part of our work as grantmakers to ensure that nonprofits have the resources they need to address today’s most pressing social concerns. Indeed, the vast majority of staffed foundations — 86 percent — do just that, invest in organizational strengthening in areas such as leadership, fundraising, evaluation, communications and… Read More

Trust-Based Philanthropy Learning and Action Lab Application

Posted on September 28, 2021 by Shaady Salehi, Dimple Abichandani, Carrie Avery

Peer Learning for Family Philanthropy Leaders The National Center for Family Philanthropy, The Philanthropy Workshop, and the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project are pleased to announce a six-part Learning and Action Lab for family foundations and individual donors interested in leveraging their philanthropy toward a more just and equitable nonprofit sector. At its core, trust-based philanthropy is about addressing power imbalances and… Read More