Improve Your Effectiveness
CEP’s data-driven, customized advising leverages CEP’s knowledge and experience to help funders answer pressing questions regarding their work, address existing challenges, hear from valued constituents, and learn and share with peers.
Insights Catered Specifically to Your Needs
You face vexing questions in your work as a foundation leader. CEP’s advisory services draw from nearly two decades of experience to help you find solutions to the most pressing challenges in your work. Examples of customizable engagements include:
- Customized Surveys, Interviews, and Focus Groups of Key Stakeholders: CEP surveys diverse groups of stakeholders on their perceptions of a funder’s impact, communications, grantmaking practice, and more.
- Supporting Implementation: CEP works with boards and staff as they develop plans to implement effective practices, often following an assessment engagement.
Assisting in the Creation of Performance Indicators: CEP structures efforts to develop and use organizational performance indicators to help funders track progress, learn from experience, and modify plans as appropriate.
Building Capacity: CEP designs and delivers workshops and group learning opportunities for foundation boards and staff.
- Overall Assessment of Effectiveness: CEP collects and analyzes information a funder needs to determine its capacity, effectiveness, and opportunities for improvement.
Benchmarking: CEP supports groups of peer funders in collecting and sharing internal operational and structural data.
Advisory Services in Action
William Penn Foundation asked CEP to interview peer funders about the structures – staff and board participation, communication, grantmaking practices, and more – that shaped their last strategy review.
Community Foundation Sonoma County and Napa Valley Community Foundation engaged CEP to survey nonprofit leaders in Sonoma and Napa counties about the impact of the October 2017 Northern California wildfires.
Citi Foundation brought on CEP to provide guidance on shifting its grantmaking to provide more organizations with longer and larger general operating support grants.
Surdna Foundation marked its centennial by commissioning CEP to conduct and publish a study on multigenerational board engagement at family foundations.
Northern California Grantmakers partnered with CEP to develop a community survey to help them better understand how they can enable their members to do their best work.
Our Assessments
Grantee and Applicant Perception Reports
Learn from the candid perspectives of your grantees and applicants about what they need from you in order to succeed.
Donor Perception Report
Understand what your donors value and how you can best engage them to strengthen your impact.
Staff Perception Report
Cultivate a strong culture and engaged staff that will help you achieve your goals.
