Responding to dramatic changes in public policy in 2017, many foundation leaders have tailored their strategies and tactics in continued pursuit of their missions. Armed with clear focus, experience, and strong networks, these foundations are modeling good philanthropic practice that is worth noticing. Recently, dozens of funders gathered at Associated Grant Makers (AGM) to discuss... Read More
There’s more to recordkeeping than meets the eye. Some foundations have discovered that good recordkeeping helps them improve their grantmaking and stay informed in their communities. In search of trends The Vine and Branches Foundation goes beyond the rules of recordkeeping. It uses records to assess where the foundation has been and where it wants... Read More
A records retention policy is a simple written document—one or two pages—that summarizes your procedures for storing, organizing, purging, archiving, and protecting foundation documents and fulfilling public reporting requirements. A records retention policy typically includes the following information: What documents you store and how long you store them Where you store different types of documents:... Read More
Foundations use software for some of the following tasks: preparing mailing labels, creating lists of grantees, recalling grant history, tracking outstanding commitments, sharing grant requests with other trustees online, and tracking letters and reports from grantees. Assessing your needs Any computer consultant will tell you that the first step in choosing software is to take... Read More
How do foundation trustees become a vibrant, unified team with members who are moving in the same direction? How do they become a team that respects one another’s values while passionately sharing a clear and common vision? Developing a mission statement can help trustees focus. It’s a challenge to know one’s own values and to... Read More
In June 2017, we hatched a plan. What if we created a survey to gather experience, advice, opinions, and knowledge from our grantmaker and grantseeker communities? (At Foundant, we provide grantmaking software solutions to grantmakers and grantees.) What kind of response would we get? How could we use the information we received to further our... Read More