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Listening and Learning to Assess Needs, Find Your Niche
Scanning, a seldom discussed but powerful strategy for philanthropic impact, involves taking time to learn more about your community or a particular field to find out how your giving can be most effective. It involves intentional learning to develop a giving focus or design—or refine—a giving strategy. Why scan? Because the most effective giving is... Read More
I’m on a Listening Tour, and It’s One of the Best Things I’ve Ever Done
When the Sauer family asked me to learn about foster care children and youth as a potential focus area, I decided to go on a listening tour. I don’t want to say that I “scanned the landscape” because I didn’t want to inventory which organizations did what piece of the work. I wanted to understand... Read More
Key Insights from the 2024 Foundation Operations and Management Report
Exponent Philanthropy is proud to release the latest edition of the Foundation Operations and Management Report (FOMR). This premier benchmarking resource offers mission-critical statistics on grantmaking, boards and governance, investments, and administration—including salary and benefits—for foundations with few or no staff. This blog has an interesting or important finding from each section of our 2024 report.... Read More
Foundations on the Hill: Understand and Participate in the Political Process
Policymakers never stop working, so it’s always the right time to engage legislators and officials. Your presence ensures policymakers hear your concerns, while absence might lead to them overlooking your issues. Foundations and their trustees tend to opt out of meeting with elected officials. But not only do policymakers need to hear from philanthropists, they... Read More
Connect More: How Lean Funders Develop Knowledge and Relationships to Catalyze Change on Priority Issues
How can foundation leaders best advance their focus areas? By developing extensive knowledge and insight. Leanly-staffed foundations hold a wealth of diverse connections with people in their communities, and they can leverage these relationships to gain knowledge and expertise. Insight helps these leaders identify gaps and solutions and address key issues in the smartest ways.... Read More
Bringing People Together: How Convening Can Make a Big Difference
Have you ever wondered how getting a bunch of people in one room or space could be a game-changer? Well, convening folks with a common goal is powerful. Given their freedom and flexibility to make things happen fast, lean funders are excellent conveners. Yet, many consider this straightforward tool a funder’s most underrated. The Power... Read More