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A Program Officer’s Go-To Resources
Not long ago, I was contacted by a young professional interested in exploring a career in grantmaking. She inquired about what books, websites, and blogs I have found most helpful in my position as a program officer, and I offered to compile a short list to send her way. As a new program officer myself—just... Read More
The Buying Season
Well, it’s that season again! People are breaking out their checkbooks and making resolutions for the new year. I know it sounds like I’m talking about the holidays, but I am actually talking about the end-of-year technology purchasing season. I have been in the technology industry for most of my career and have always been... Read More
A Small Funder Engages Its Community’s Expertise
As president of the foundation and son of the founders, I feel that our strategy leverages our assets exponentially. Here is how we do it. Established in 1984, the Zeigler Foundation is a small family foundation composed of seven board members with an endowment of just over $2.7 million. In 20 years we have distributed... Read More
What Do You Know? What Can You Do?
This morning I found myself thinking about lessons learned about inspiration in grantmaking from the Girl Scout troop I co-led for many years. Our girls didn’t do grantmaking, of course, but they did do a lot of community service projects. Several of our 11- to 14-year-olds earned the Silver Award, where the girl selects, plans,... Read More
Is Playing It Cool Holding Us Back in Philanthropy?
We have all heard the warning: In philanthropy, following the heart will lead you astray. Hunger, homelessness, children who lack opportunity, disasters, pollution, forsaken animals—these touch us deeply. And we give to organizations that have served us—our schools and colleges; hospitals that cared for us; arts groups that enriched our lives. But before long, our dollars... Read More
Reducing the Burden on Our Grantseekers and Ourselves
Our goal is to make the McElroy Trust the easiest place to seek funding for good ideas. It’s not the easiest place to get a “yes,” because we see a lot of proposals, ask hard questions, and have high standards. But we try to never make a grantseeker jump through hoops. I estimate that changes... Read More