Resources

We are interested in learning about like-minded local affinity groups in other jurisdictions, specifically what spurred the creation of the group, what issues do you focus on or lens do you apply to your work, and what was your process for arriving at that focus?

Grantmakers increasingly are turning to general operating support to ensure that nonprofits have the resources they need to achieve their goals. However, many grantmakers still have reservations about shifting more of support for grantees into the unrestricted column.

Due diligence is a process that helps grantmakers get to know grantseekers. Typically, it’s seen strictly as a means to ensure an organization’s financial and legal compliance. However, when done well, due diligence has the potential to provide insight into such critical attributes as the role of the organization’s board, the position the nonprofit holds in its field and community, and the level of alignment between our own mission and the goals of the grantseeker.

While we may not be able to totally remove the inherent power imbalance between grantmakers, our grantees and the communities we serve, we can take steps to build more trusting, honest and authentic relationships.

Taking time early in the grantmaking process to map out the stakeholders affected by our work, and their position in the ecosystem, helps creates a deeper understanding of key issues. It also prepares us to address future concerns and to tap stakeholder expertise in a proactive way that helps build agreement and buy-in that ultimately leads to more effective programs. In order to do this well, grantmakers need to master stakeholder analysis and determine how to bring key players into decision-making.

Empathy is one of the main reasons individual and institutional philanthropy exist. Grantmakers in communities across the country and around the world are mission-bound to try and help people and communities overcome challenges in order to thrive.

Networks of nonprofits, funders and other partners have the potential to build new capacity for making progress on complex problems and achieving significant measurable results. However, understanding the influence of networks and their results can be a challenge. Like social change itself, networks are emergent and nonlinear.

Collective action is an effective way for nonprofits to increase their impact, but they often lack the key capacities that enable these types of partnerships to thrive. Nonprofits need time and space to explore and employ the power of collective action to advance their missions. They also need organizational slack, and board and staff leaders who are adept at building relationships and sharing power and responsibility.

How can grantmakers expect nonprofits to deliver on their missions when many of them are struggling just to stay afloat? How can grantmakers expect nonprofits to perform effectively when they don’t have the funds they need to invest in decent salaries, technology and other infrastructure?

We are looking to develop a set of guiding principles for creating "external expert advisory committees" to provide strategic guidance and advice to each of our program areas.