by Amy Segal Shorey

Most of us want to feel deeply connected to other people.  Sixty percent of Americans celebrate that major retail event, Valentine’s Day.

Philanthropists might not send one another chocolates, but they do look to share with one another in meaningful ways.  Even The Giving Pledge promises its billionaire signers the opportunity to converse with their peers and exchange ideas about how best to give their wealth away.

Foundation boards frequently debate the merits of joining affinity groups and membership organizations, weighing the value of membership against using the funds for additional grants. The Council on Foundations website alone lists 42 affinity groups representing common grantmaking interests, geographic focus, size and governance structure, and trustee identity.  These groups boast thousands of members in the philanthropic sector, but they represent a minority of private foundations.

The strongest motivation for joining is to increase the impact or efficiency of your grantmaking, but that effect is difficult to measure, and impossible to know in advance. For practical guidance, I would offer these four reasons that our foundation clients decide to become members:

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by Phil Hall

Most of us would agree that lasting change seldom occurs through a collection of isolated grants.  Instead, change begins when a complex web of leaders across sectors and communities works simultaneously to embrace a common mission, collaborate for a sustained period of time and inspire others to do the same.

Large-scale movements for change are often considered the province of only the largest foundations. In fact, funders of all shapes and sizes can adopt the skills and attitudes that are associated with supporting movements. Knowingly or not, even the most individualistic funder is in one way or another contributing to long-term, large-scale change.

This past November, I attended the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations’ conference on movements in Washington, DC. The key learning points of this conference are outlined below and detailed in GEO’s publication, Many Hands More Impact: Philanthropy’s Role in Supporting Movements.

What is a Movement?

One of the most basic decisions any foundation must make has to do with scale.  Do we focus on helping people in need, on a set geography, or a group of favored organizations?  Do we collaborate with other funders?

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NPO CONVERSATION on MARCH 12:   COMMUNICATIONS

What do you know about your nonprofit’s work that others should know too?

Please join GMA’s associates for a guided lunchtime conversation with a small group of leaders from the non-profit sector.  Although this is an opportunity for us to get to know one another, we’ll talk primarily about communications. 

Come ready to tell us about your efforts to raise awareness and money through your communications program.  We’d like to hear about what has worked, what hasn’t and how funders can help.

These are some of our questions:

• Do you have a favorite story that you use to demonstrate the impact of your work?
• How do you keep your content fresh, without spending more time and money than you have? How do you use technology?
• Are you looking for a new audience?  How will you try to reach them? Continue Reading »