DISTINCTIVE GRANTMAKING

On the heels of a recent site visit, the group of trustees I was with wrote a check to the school. To be clear, our visit was not made in conjunction with a grant application. Their spontaneity impressed me and started me thinking.
Is it necessary to leave a tip for good learning?

A trustees’ learning tour…an educational site visit…a funders’ day out…a local nonprofit visit as an option at a national conference.  Such hands-on learning adventures have become commonplace in our field, and with good reason.  To better understand what nonprofits do, what their leadership accomplishes, and what may be possible with additional resources, there is no substitute for seeing with our own eyes. Site visits can even re-connect us
with our own mission.

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NEWS AND INSIGHTS

Cambridge, Massachusetts, synonymous with outstanding education, innovation and youthful energy, was the perfect setting for the National Center for Family Philanthropy’s first ever Forum on Family Philanthropy earlier this month (#ncfp14). Family and friends gathered there from around the country to enjoy the warmth of good people, lively conversation and the inspiration that comes from sharing ideas.

It was wicked awesome, as we would say in Boston.  I experienced that feeling of familiarity and genuine happiness that comes with greeting people you haven’t seen in years and the curiosity of learning how far they’ve come, much like a college reunion.  But here the seasoned alumni were mingling with the incoming classes of new philanthropists who brought fresh approaches and different questions.

My colleague Amy Segal Shorey and I had a wonderful opportunity to share some of what we’ve learned in our work with family foundations through our Foundations in Practice case studies.  The three workshops we led centered on themes familiar to most in this field. What made them wonderful was the buzz of dozens of people sharing their perspectives, knowledge and creativity in devising solutions to real life challenges.  Each of us became a teacher and a learner.
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NPO Conversation at GMA: Wednesday, June 11

We invite leaders of nonprofit organizations to join us each quarter for a brown-bag lunch discussion about issues, ideas, and concerns in the nonprofit and philanthropic community. The meetings are a time for us to “talk shop” and move beyond the usual conversation between foundations and nonprofit organizations.

Attendance is limited to seven organizations with one representative per organization, preferably the executive director or director of a major program. Please call Judy Sneath by June 6th to register. Tel. 617/391-3084

Topic for Conversation:   From Mission to Program

GMA Foundations’ recently-released 2013 Grants Report gives a snapshot of our clients’ $37 million grants portfolio.  In light of the 50^thanniversary of President Johnson’s proclaimed War on Poverty, the report focuses on human services and efforts to lift individuals and families out of poverty.

We would all agree that we have not yet ‘won’ this war, but how have our tactics changed?  Poverty alleviation is complicated; the causes of poverty vary decade by decade, place by place, yet the impact on lives is eerily familiar. We are interested in hearing about how your mission-driven organization tailors and adapts programs to meet today’s specific challenges.

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 the connection between theory and reality, mission and program. 

Come ready to tell us about how your organization’s mission or theory of change informs your programs, your learning and your funders’ expectations.  We’d like to hear about how you stay focused, how you adapt to meet your community’s needs, and what funders should know.                                                                             Continue Reading »