Benchmarks for Effective Philanthropy

• Encourage responsive "bottom-up" grant making as well asa effective intiative-driven grant making
• Develop mutually respectful relationships between funders and grantees
• Include those working "closest to the ground," grantees as well as foundation staff and trustees, in decision making and priority setting
• Make sure decision makers have first-hand experience and/or breadth of theoretical knowledge in the areas foundations fund
• Encourage risk taking on the part of both foundations and grantees
• Do multi-year, core support grants
• Stick with grantees over time
• Leverage support from other funders on behalf of grantees
• Build collaboratives with other funders that can leverage and publicize for public benefit both grantees' and foundations' own expertise
• Aim for "transparency" with clear guidelines and accessibility
• Establish goal setting and accountability that includes both internal and external evaluations of the effectiveness and impact of foundations' own grant making
• Work with grantees (and covers their costs) to evaluate the quality and impact of grantees' work
• Foster a "learning organization" culture of willingness to learn, accomodate "midcourse corrections," and change

• • Philanthropy Defined
  • Why Philanthropy Matters
  • What is Effective Philanthropy
  • Benchmarks for
    Effective Philanthropy
  • Defining "Deep Diversity"
  • "Naming Norm"
  • Summary Descriptors
    of Case Study
    Foundations
  • Gender Benders:
    A Fortune 50
    Email String
  • International
    Philanthropy for
    Women & Girls
  • Youth Programs
• • Why this Book?
  • Table of Contents
  • Conclusion
  • Interview with the Authors