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We need to rethink our understanding of power. And by “we,” I mean all of us engaged in promoting social change and supporting efforts to move our communities forward, especially those of us inclined to believe we still have a greater hold on the reins to power than...
This post originally appeared on the President’s Blog on the Philanthropic Foundations Canada website. At a recent conference of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Phil Buchanan, the president of CEP, posed a pointed question to the assembled foundation...
In a toughly-worded op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times headlined “Who Will Watch the Charities?”, Inside Philanthropy founder and editor David Callahan argues that philanthropy “is a world with too much secrecy and too little oversight” and...
Being a foundation CEO isn’t so easy if you’re going to do it well, as I noted in my last blog post. There are tough decisions to be made and today — in the opening plenary of CEP’s biennial conference in San Francisco — we at CEP will share data about three areas in...
Sometimes even the hottest technologies can move slowly. Big Data is a prime example. Consider the case of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), the main utility provider in Northern California. As of 2011, PG&E had equipped 80% of the homes it serves with...
I started my career in the nonprofit field nearly 20 years ago. I worked in the basement of our founder’s house doing everything from leading programs, writing curriculum, hiring staff, applying for grants, and collecting and analyzing data. I had trays and trays of...
What does it take to form strong relationships with grantees? What does it take to be responsive, fair, approachable when problems arise, and clear and consistent in communications – the core aspects of any effective funder-grantee relationship? These are questions...
The following profile is an excerpt from CEP’s recent research report, Hearing from Those We Seek to Help: Nonprofit Practices and Perspectives in Beneficiary Feedback. Crittenton Children’s Center in Kansas City, MO was one of three randomly selected nonprofit...
Foundations interested in helping nonprofit grantees build capacity can choose from many potential routes to accomplish those goals. From direct technical assistance to grant-funded consultant support, many funders grapple with the best approach to providing...
Nonprofit leaders have a sober assessment of foundations’ understanding of those they seek to help. CEP’s latest research shows that only 38 percent of nonprofit leaders believe that most or all of their foundation funders have a deep understanding of their intended...