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Mentoring Young Adults in the Youth Philanthropy Movement
At Foundant Technologies—provider of online grants management solutions for grantmakers and grantseekers—we have always been supporters of the youth philanthropy movement. We began as early sponsors and supporters of Youth Philanthropy Connect (YPC), a youth-led peer advisory network for young people involved in philanthropy. We attended their conferences and even joined them during their on-the-road... Read More
My “Mission Sabbatical” and Why Your Foundation CEO Needs One Too
I went on “sabbatical”! I was still working every day, but my wonderful board gave me “mission time.” Yes, you heard correctly. I was given 3 months to think about our foundation’s mission, its work, and our processes. What exactly does this mean? Well, to start, we temporarily closed our online portal and skipped a... Read More
Our Grantees Increase Visibility by Updating Free GuideStar Profiles
As a foundation, it can be difficult to find ways (beyond making grants) to support our grantees and, at the same time, improve their visibility in their communities and the wider world. With this challenge in mind, the foundation’s board of directors and I developed a two-pronged project inspired by a webinar I attended in... Read More
Why Foundations Should Reconsider Warren Buffett’s Advice
It is a risky proposition to take issue with any advice offered by Warren Buffett. Recently Marc Gunther, a notable philanthropy and sustainability reporter, wrote an article entitled Warren Buffett Has Some Excellent Advice For Foundations That They Probably Won’t Take. In the article, Mr. Gunther quotes part of the renowned investor’s annual letter: “When... Read More
Foundation CEOs Experience Gender Pay Gap
Today is Equal Pay Day, the day when women’s earnings “catch up” to men’s earnings from the previous year. The average American woman would have to continue to work through this date in 2017 to earn as much as the average American man in 2016. The Pay Equity Landscape According to the most recent data,... Read More
What Is Behind Great Funder–Nonprofit Relationships?
Often in the complex funder–nonprofit relationship, it seems nonprofits do the asking, reporting, and proving, while donors sit in positions to say yes or no, how much, when, and what’s required. Achieving a different, deeper relationship takes more than just good intentions—it takes flexibility, finesse, and a sincere desire to acknowledge and address the power... Read More