The moments that foundations set aside to develop program strategies are exciting opportunities for expansive and deep thinking about how to make sustained system change and how to contribute optimally to solving a major social or environmental problem. In the...
Managing Operations
Are the New Big Foundations Lean or Just In the Process of Staffing Up?
On the CEP blog this week and next, CEP President Phil Buchanan is discussing, in a series of eight posts, recent critiques of large, staffed foundations and assertions that recently-established, “lean” foundations are paving a promising new path without being saddled...
How Do You Spend Your Time?
Early on in my days as CEP’s first chief executive officer, when we were just trying to get the organization off the ground, I visited with a CEP Board member in her office south of San Francisco. She was new to the Board and very direct. “Show me your calendar,” she...
A Call to Action for Funders: Listen, Reflect, and Learn
Every September and October, I spend a lot of time in synagogue. The Jewish holidays Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a time of intense reflection for Jews about where we’ve fallen short as human beings, and how we can lead more ethical, fulfilling lives in the next...
11 New Year’s Wishes
Every New Year, we tend to dream of what the next year might bring. In that spirit, here are my wishes for what we’d see in foundationland in my imagined 2014. Let me emphasize that these are not predictions (I am a bit of a cynic about predictions). These are instead...
Looking Within for the Next Foundation CEO
Phil Buchanan highlights the recent promotions of internal foundation staff members to CEO and calls out the value of professional experience working in philanthropy.
Data Point: In the Dark: What Are My CEO’s Goals?
Ramya Gopal shares data displaying differences on key measures between staff who know the extent to which they are working toward the same goals as their CEO and staff who do not.
Giving Talent Professionals a Seat at the Table
Brian Hughes makes the case for why talent professionals are vital contributors to getting the most from your staff.
Secure Your Own Oxygen Mask First
Guest author Susan McConnell advocates for funders to focus on developing the skills of program officers as a way to lead to more effective working relationships with grantees.
On Peter Buffett’s Op-Ed
Phil Buchanan reacts to Peter Buffett’s take on the philanthropic sector, offering both criticisms of some of Buffett’s arguments and thoughtful relections on areas where he may not be totally off-base.
Six Tips for Improving Staff Performance Reviews
Brian Hughes offers foundations advice on how to make the most of the performance review process.
Chasing Staff Satisfaction
Director of Talent Brian Hughes examines the fluid nature of staff satisfaction but emphasizes the importance of pursuing it for any organization that wishes to be effective.
Mission Driven Investing: Philanthropy’s Surprising Returns
Guest author Sterling Speirn lays out the reasoning behind the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s foray into impact investing and the returns they have seen after five years with this approach.
Three Employee Empowerment Lessons from Show and Tell
Chris McCrum of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation draws connections between leading staff and a shared experience from elementary school.
Creating Community at The Commonwealth Fund
Guest authors Diana Davenport and John Craig discuss how The Commonwealth Fund has sought to improve their staff satisfaction through empowerment.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Satisfied with your job!
Ellie Buteau introduces new research, drawn from our Staff Perception Report, that illuminates the keys to employee empowerment and satisfaction.
Measuring Our People: A Metrics-Based Approach to Talent Management
CEP Director of Talent & Administration Brian Hughes presents his approach for applying data to talent management.
Philanthropy’s Innovation Pile Up
Jeff Raikes of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation discusses obstacles in the way of realizing the full potential of innovative solutions.
Companies to the Rescue
In the penultimate installment of his six-part series, Phil Buchanan questions the assertion that business is more likely to solve societies greatest problems than the nonprofit sector.
The Need for Clear Boundaries
In the second of a six part blog series, Phil Buchanan argues against the blurring of boundaries between the business and nonprofit sectors.