A look at nonprofit finances in the United States—how they’ve changed, where they stand now, and what the field needs to consider in the coming years.
-
-
Trust-based philanthropy centers around advancing equity and ending power imbalances in grantmaking. See how General Service Foundation and Libra Foundation are putting trust-based processes into action.
Read the full article at: www.givingdata.com
-
After an extended period without face-to-face gatherings, the 15th research conference of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) had a celebratory air, as over 225 attendees and over 100…
-
-
Strengthen Relationships with Nonprofits Better solutions take hold when they emerge from the communities we serve. When we fail to achieve the best results, it is often because we aren’t connected to our communities and the work of grantees. What is stakeholder engagement? Many grantmakers are recognizing that in order to ensure better results, we need to tap into the knowledge experience and energy of key stakeholders — nonprofits, community members, other funders, thought leaders. This type of engagement means reaching beyond the usual suspects, deep listening and involving key players in philanthropic decision making. Doing so provides a better understanding of the challenges on the ground, increases buy-in and improves strategies. Find the full answer here > What are different ways to engage stakeholders? A host of specific practices and activities can help grantmakers bring the voices of nonprofits, beneficiaries and community members into decision making and planning. These activities range from lower touch where grantmakers create vehicles to communicate with key stakeholders, to higher levels of involvement in shaping grantmaking programs. Find the full answer here > Which stakeholders should we involve in our decisions and how? Taking time early in the grantmaking process to map out the stakeholders affected by our work, and their position in the ecosystem, helps creates a deeper understanding of key issues. It also prepares us to address future concerns and to tap stakeholder expertise in a proactive way that helps build agreement and buy-in that ultimately leads to more effective programs. In order to do this well, grantmakers need to master stakeholder analysis and determine how to bring key players into decision-making. Find the full answer here > What is empathy and what are the benefits? Empathy is one of the main reasons individual and institutional philanthropy exist. Grantmakers in communities across the country and around the world are mission-bound to try and help people and communities overcome challenges in order to thrive. Implicit in most grantmaker missions is the message: “We care, and we want to help.” But while philanthropy often originates out of compassion and concern for others, grantmakers sometimes forget to make empathy a core driver of our grantmaking. In this piece, we discuss the value of empathy and how it can help grantmakers make smarter grantmaking decisions. Find the full answer here > How do we build and maintain authentic relationships? While we may not be able to totally remove the inherent power imbalance between grantmakers, our grantees and the communities we serve, we can take steps to build more trusting, honest and authentic relationships. By making our work about others, not ourselves, we can develop more genuine connections with grantees and communities. This can mean getting out of the office, bringing the outside into our organizations, making the necessary investments in time and resources, and leading from the top. Find the full answer here > How do we know if our stakeholder engagement is working? Effective stakeholder engagement starts and ends with respect — respect for the expertise that those on the front lines bring to the problems affecting their community, and respect for their capacity to develop solutions if given the chance. Assessing whether stakeholder engagement strategies have truly taken hold requires a shift in our traditional approach to evaluation and learning processes and the factors that constitute success. Find the full answer here > Where can we go to dig deeper on stakeholder engagement? This document contains resources and websites that can assist grantmakers as we continue to improve our engagement with grantees and other partners. Find the full answer here > Who is engaging stakeholders well? A searchable collection of member stories about strengthening relationships with nonprofits is available here. In this section What We Offer GEO Community GEOList Conferences Conference Planning Process Peer Learning Remote Learning Capacity Building Champions Place Based Strategic Learners Network Community Driven Philanthropy Peer Network Race Equity Culture™ Fellowship Change Leaders in Philanthropy Fellowship Publications GEO in the Field The Smarter Grantmaking Playbook Learn for Improvement Support Nonprofit Resilience Strengthen Relationships with Nonprofits Collaborate for Greater Impact Join the GEO Community 500+ members sharing insights and learnings to move philanthropy forward. Check out the benefits of membership
Read the full article at: www.geofunders.org
-
Many cities and localities have mounted targeted efforts to promote education and career pathways for “opportunity youth.” Engaging these young people—ages 16 to 24, who are not in school and not…
-
To counteract NIMBY attitudes, a two-step framework is presented for proactive community engagement that will build local support.
Read the full article at: blueavocado.org
-
In the nonprofit world, corporate partnerships are powerful.
Read the full article at: www.forbes.com
-
When used properly, data can exponentially increase the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization.
Read the full article at: www.forbes.com
-
A checklist to avoid common problems that funders have identified in evaluating applications.
Read the full article at: ssir.org
-
Millennials and Gen Z make up over half the US population, but only account for 16% of contributions to total charitable giving. At the same time, almost two-thirds of that…
-
Rising global temperatures have been affecting climate patterns for decades. The frequency and severity of acute events, such as wildfires on the western coast of the U.S. or 1-in-1,000-year rainfall events in Dallas show…
