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There are lots of critiques of foundations and philanthropy – some justified, some not – and lots of calls for foundations to do a better job of owning up to failure and sharing what hasn’t worked. But we could also do a better job learning from what has, in fact,...
Many years ago, a very accomplished friend who was much further along in his career was discussing with me his potential transition to a new role he was considering accepting. We were on a walk, and he said that he was leaning toward taking the new job. “I think I...
There are people in the lives of organizations who make all the difference. I am talking about individuals who help catapult an entity from one stage of development to another by bringing both skills and perspectives that are sorely lacking and desperately needed –...
Serious questions about governance structure and compensation have been raised about the Otto Bremer Foundation. The foundation has about $800 million in assets, according to Foundation Center, and is located in St. Paul Minnesota. In a June 26 letter to...
Critiques of philanthropists and foundations seem to be on the upswing. A few weeks ago, I wrote about this trend and quoted a thoughtful Atlantic piece by Benjamin Soskis that argued that such critique is both healthy and in keeping with a long history of public...
Foundations often turn to consultants for help in designing strategies. Given this, the work of consulting firms – and the approaches they promote through consulting engagements and “thought leadership” pieces – is of great significance to foundations, their grantees...
Foundation effectiveness requires clear goals, coherent strategies, disciplined implementation, and relevant performance indicators. “They may seem obvious but they are actually really hard to do,” CEP President Phil Buchanan told Minnesota Council on Foundations...
Times are changing for foundations and donors.The launch by NCRP of Philamplify, an initiative to publicly assess foundations, along with the introduction late last year of the website Inside Philanthropy, got me thinking about the shift in the past decade when it...
Good foundation governance is a subject of much discussion and debate. Recently, one of our board members, Crystal Hayling, suggested to us that foundation boards would function better if more of their members were CEOs of other foundations. Her argument made sense to...
Assertions about what is known should not be made lightly. They matter – especially when they are published in respected journals by respected authors. To the extent that poorly supported, or unsupported, claims are seen by readers to be credible – and practices are...