This Giving Season, improve your effectiveness as a donor with CEP’s resources for individual givers.
Contact Us
Search
The CEP blog aims to offer a range of perspectives, experiences, and opinions related to effective philanthropic practice. We welcome submissions that address crucial issues facing individual and institutional donors and are not self-promotional in nature. The views expressed in these posts are not necessarily CEP’s own.
This post originally appeared on The Gathering blog. The first time I read the phrase “bearing witness” was in Elie Wiesel’s book “Night” recounting the horrors of the Holocaust and the responsibility he felt never to forget or allow others to dismiss what...
Thanks to the digital age, we live in a new era of storytelling. Whether through blogs, emails, social media, or video, using stories to highlight an organization’s impact is an engaging way to invite people into the good work being done. From the complexities of...
Successful organizations and people have at least one thing in common: they are honest with themselves about their strengths and limitations. As executive director of a mid-sized foundation, I know we do not possess the human capital or spending power to...
At CEP we are always thinking about the ways that strong funder-grantee relationships affect the success of foundations’ efforts. This topic has been a major emphasis in our research agenda for more than a decade, as we have continually investigated the questions,...
From time to time, events at the highest levels of legal and political decision-making in Washington shed light on the importance of nonprofit media and the critical role of philanthropy in the support of journalism. Last week, the United States Supreme Court...
Centering race so that we can advance racial equity requires us to focus on both inward and outward change. At the recent CEP Conference, I presented at a session about philanthropy with a racial equity lens, during which my co-presenters and I shared examples of how...
We’ve all been there. The time when the foundation seems to forget the research project ever happened as soon as the final check is cut. The time when your report stuffed full of creative recommendations gets buried by risk-averse leadership. The time when the...
Almost 20 years ago, I accepted my first job in philanthropy. Right before I started, a mentor of mine asked, “Brenda, who do you think you will be accountable to when you start your new program officer job?” “My new boss,” I said immediately. “No,” he said, “Try...
It’s easy to understand the appeal of impact investing, particularly for philanthropists with donor-advised funds (DAFs). With a DAF — which works like a charitable checking account — donors recommend both how the assets in their fund are invested and where they are...
There is one word that stuck with me across all of the sessions I attended at CEP’s Stronger Philanthropy conference last month, and which hitched a ride home with me as a whisper in my ear that has been present every day since. That word? Listen. Law and...
At Fund for Shared Insight, the funder collaborative I have the privilege of managing, our mission is to help foundations and nonprofits meaningfully connect with each other and with the people and communities they seek to help — and be more open to their input and...
In an era when government has become less capable of solving problems due to increasing political polarization, dysfunction, and fiscal austerity, philanthropists are recognizing the need to support effective policy reform efforts that can break through the gridlock...
As a new fellow at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, one thing that has surprised me most is the constant advice I receive on my career in philanthropy. I am new to the sector, and thus appreciate the unique opportunity to receive thoughtful advice on my...
While the idea and practice of using feedback to better inform and improve performance is gaining prominence in the social sector, the earliest adopters have been almost exclusively organizations that provide direct services to clients. Providing direct services is...
This post originally appeared on the Community Wealth Partners blog. As Grant Oliphant of the Heinz Endowments kicked off the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s 2019 conference, he reminded us of the seriousness of the time we’re in — increasing income...
Last week, I had the pleasure of helping to lead a discussion at CEP’s biennial national conference about the critical partnership between foundation CEOs and boards. I was joined by two fantastic leaders from the Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF):...
This past September, the Howard Gilman Foundation received its first Grantee Perception Report (GPR) results from CEP, which included a few recommendations for next steps based on grantee feedback. As a team, we found the first of the recommendations to be...
Almost as quickly as it began, the 2019 CEP Conference has come to a close. From a highly interactive opening plenary about the role of money and markets in a just society with political philosopher Michael Sandel to a gripping and insightful conversation...
It’s been a whirlwind so far, but Day 2 of the CEP 2019 Conference is over, having brought thoughtful debate, new data to digest, and plenty of opportunities for conversation and reflection about navigating the challenges philanthropy faces in the current...
And in the blink of an eye, Day 1 of the CEP 2019 Conference in Minneapolis has come to a close. Highlights included a highly interactive and engaging opening plenary with political philosopher Michael Sandel, a special Twin Cities’ welcome from...