What are we trying to achieve with our grants? You can answer this question in many ways, and one way to start is with how and what you fund. These components shape your philanthropic orientation, the unique way that your foundation approaches the funding process. The how of your giving hinges on how you choose... Read More
The Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation has a mission, vision, and core values. A seven-word motto, though, most succinctly expresses its goal: Leave it better than you found it. Claude W. Ahrens lived by those words, says granddaughter Julie Gosselink, president and CEO of the foundation. In 1993, after a successful career in the... Read More
Exponent Philanthropy Senior Program Manager Sara Beggs was joined by Exponent Philanthropy members Janis Reischmann of the Hau’oli Mau Loa Foundation and Sheila Leddy of The Fledgling Fund for a conversation about the power of finding a focus. The following text highlights key pieces of their conversation. Beggs: Janis, to start us off, can you... Read More
Impact is rarely achieved accidentally or immediately, especially when tackling some of life’s most complex challenges. Although some donors can point to single grants that achieved notable results, the people and causes around the world are especially in need of passionate philanthropists that pursue a particular impact with everything they’ve got. One donor describes the... Read More
Why encourage philanthropists working with few or no staff who already limited time and money to take on evaluation? Two reasons: First, evaluation is a critical element for philanthropists that desire to increase their impact. Second, just because evaluation has been overwhelming or unproductive in the past doesn’t mean it has to be going forward.... Read More
In April, Exponent Philanthropy and PEAK Grantmaking both surveyed their members to learn how they’ve adjusted their funding approaches in response to COVID-19. Join Melissa Sines, Programs and Knowledge Director at PEAK Grantmaking, and Brendan McCormick, Manager, Research and Education at Exponent Philanthropy, for a discussion on their different survey results. Read More