Monthly Archives: April 2012

Apr 30 2012
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Henry Berman

PhilanthroFiles – 8 Weeks In

By Henry Berman, ASF

Last week I was chatting with a group of ASF supporters about some of the new (to ASF) media we were using. In the course of the discussion I noted that ASF certainly wasn’t the first group to use a blog or Twitter or other forms of so-called new or social media. Yet I was able to proudly point out that as in everything we do, we’ve been thoughtful and intentional about introducing technology. Our goal is not to simply “have a blog” or amass a large number of tweets. Rather, as I pointed out in my PhilanthroFiles inaugural post:

One of our hopes is that this blog space will be a catalyst for thinking and a welcoming place for sharing. Some of the posts will no doubt be controversial. Others will report successful grant making and foundation experiences that might benefit all and still others will be stories that can inspire. We won’t always agree with one another, and that’s just fine. What is important is that we engage in a civil discourse that will help all of us to grow.

We’ve been at this for just two months. We know we have a lot more people reading than leaving comments. That’s fine – I encourage you to keep reading. Keep in mind however, that ASF’s greatest strength is you, our members and readers. Your knowledge, experience and opinions are valuable. Share them.

Bill Gates noted, “At Microsoft there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they all come from the top. I’m afraid that’s not quite right.” The same is true here. YOU have the good ideas. Share them!

To contribute a post to PhilanthroFiles, contact ASF’s Manager of Online Communications Christa Carignan.

Henry Berman became ASF’s CEO in 2011, previously serving as acting CEO, board member, and committee member. Through his experience as a foundation co-trustee and ASF member since 2003, he brings a firsthand understanding of the needs of ASF members to his role. Berman’s early career included positions as an independent communications consultant and director, writer, and producer of film, video, and multimedia programs for education, motivation, and fundraising.

Apr 26 2012
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Andy Carroll, Leadership

Noticing Nonprofit Redundancy, Taking Action

By Andy Carroll, ASF 

Last month, I interviewed Nan Pugh of Pugh Family Foundation for ASF’s Leadership Initiative. She was amazing—smart, enthusiastic, committed, curious.

One of the themes Nan talked about was that foundations are leaders because they set agendas and set directions. An example she offered was that her foundation is concerned when they receive multiple proposals for the same work, or same kinds of work, from different organizations. For example, in one grant cycle the foundation received seven applications for financial literacy work in its rural community.

The week prior, Scott Brazda of The Stuller Family Foundation e-mailed me to ask about guidance for foundations that see redundancy among nonprofit work and wish to encourage certain grantees to merge or collaborate. I offered a little guidance and recommended Scott post to ASF’s Discussion List.

But Scott’s post—and an influx of great responses from fellow ASF members—came later. Back to Nan.

A few moments later in our interview, Nan mentioned a colleague named Scott Brazda as “a visionary.” She said Scott was concerned about redundancy in their community and was trying to figure out ways to address it. Nan said she wanted to think more about the issue of redundancy and work with Scott and others on it.

I then realized Nan and Scott are both in Louisiana, and it turns out they are good colleagues.

Continue reading →

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Apr 25 2012
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Ruth Masterson, Tax & Legal

A Caution About the IRS Auto-Revocation List

By Ruth Masterson, ASF

The Auto-Revocation List is an official IRS record of organizations that have lost their exempt status for failing to file required annual tax returns for three consecutive years.

It’s important for private foundations to check this list to make sure grant applicants don’t appear on it. If a prospective grantee is on the list, grants to that organization cannot be counted as a qualifying distribution without exercising expenditure responsibility.

We offer an additional caution: Organizations will not be automatically deleted from the list, even if they successfully reapply for exemption and are reinstated as tax exempt. The IRS has stated that the list is an historical record of organizations whose tax-exempt status has been revoked for non-filing. The IRS will only remove an organization’s name from the list if they are provided with documentation that the organization was added to the list in error.

Continue reading →

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Apr 23 2012
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Barry Sturgeon, Technology

Using Media to Share Your Story

By Barry Sturgeon, Davenport Trust Fund

The Davenport Trust Fund was established in Bath, ME, in 1927 and reached its 85th year on February 8. More than $13 million has been awarded in grants.

I have been a trustee for 19 years and collect history about our founder and the previous trustees. Twice in the past 5 years, we have used different media to inform the public.

For our 80th anniversary in 2007, we produced an 8-page insert in a free local weekly newspaper, focusing on our history, what we do, the trustees, and to educate the public about philanthropy. We primarily did this due to the milestone being reached but also because we felt there was a lack of understanding in the community about our work. Continue reading →

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Apr 19 2012
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Administration, Gali Cooks

Why We Started An Internship At Our Foundation

By Gali Cooks, Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation

This is the first in a three-part series chronicling one foundation’s experience with having an intern. The first post is written by the foundation’s Executive Director, the second by the Program Officer, and the third by the current Intern. We hope the series will inspire other foundations to follow suit.

Gali CooksI have always been a fan of internships. I had several internships in college and remember them fondly. They exposed me to the “real world” and had a profound impact on my professional direction.

So it was no surprise that about a year ago, when my Program Officer, Michael, and I started thinking of ways we could add value to our foundation, we thought about creating an internship. Continue reading →

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Apr 18 2012
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Administration, Lauren Kotkin

Throwing It All Away?

By Lauren Kotkin, ASF

My sister was born in the middle of a blizzard.

That is, my father flagged down a truck driver near their apartment in the NY suburbs to take them to the hospital—any hospital—because emergency services refused to pick them up. The driver drove them to the nearest hospital, and my sister was delivered by an unknown doctor.

The story is family lore.

Fast forward a few decades. My parents were schmoozing at a bar-mitzvah when my mother recognized a man in the crowd. She never forgets a name or a face. Sure enough, it was the doctor who delivered my sister. She said to him, “You probably don’t remember this, but…” and then introduced herself and thanked him with a smile. Continue reading →

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Apr 17 2012
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Grantmaking, Henry Berman, Impact & Evaluation

What It Means to Give Smart – Part I

By Henry Berman, ASF

The natural state of philanthropy is underperformance.

Tom Tierney, coauthor with Joel Fleishman of Give Smart: Philanthropy That Gets Results, shared with me why—and what donors can do about it—in ASF’s first podcast.

Hear Tom’s thoughts on timeless truths in philanthropy and what matters most in achieving philanthropic results. Continue reading →

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Apr 16 2012
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Effectiveness Skills, Family, Grantmaking, Scott Brazda

I Am Not Alone – And Neither Are You

By Scott Brazda, The Stuller Family Foundation

Moving from one job to a decidedly different form of employment can humble the human soul to its very core.

Case in point: yours truly. As a television news and sports anchor, I felt I knew all the issues and had all the answers. I was confident. Oh, so confident. Heck, I was invincible.

Then came the transition. Out went the newsman, in came the executive director. Out went the answers, in came the questions, questions, and more questions.

My first two months as executive director of The Stuller Family Foundation were a blur. Site visit? Impact? Evaluation? What foreign language gave rise to these words? I also wondered, Will my old station take me back? Continue reading →

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Apr 12 2012
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Grantmaking, Investments, Liz Sak

The Sky Really Is Falling…So What’s Next?

By Liz Sak, Cricket Island Foundation

This posting original appeared on Smart Assets The Philanthropy New York Blog, April 3, 2012.

When the 2008 financial crisis hit, endowments of smaller foundations were hit hard. We all knew the recovery would take time. We just didn’t know how long.

In Diminishing Dollars: The Impact of the 2008 Financial Crisis on the Field of Social Justice Philanthropy, a report we recently helped produce in partnership with Foundation Center, we found that social justice grantmaking levels through 2015 will remain below 2008 levels, unless the smaller funders who primarily support community-based social change see 5 years of above-average investment returns.

We believe these results can be extrapolated to the broader funding community. Continue reading →

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Apr 10 2012
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Cheryl Taylor, Impact & Evaluation

Strategy and Measurement: Big Opportunities for Small Foundations

By Cheryl Taylor, Foellinger Foundation

Are you like me? I cringe when people use the terms strategy or strategic in so many different contexts that the terms lose nearly all meaning.

Strategy without measurement is meaningless, and measurement of a misguided strategy is equally meaningless. Strategy and measurement are inseparable if a small foundation hopes to achieve its mission.

That’s what the Foellinger Foundation discovered when it undertook a study of its own practices.

The results of this internal study have been published as a shared resource for small foundations. In Foundation Effectiveness: A Guide to Strategy and Evaluation, we don’t pretend to have the answers, just some experiences that might be of some value to small foundations wishing to uncover their own ways to enhance their strategies—and their effectiveness. Continue reading →

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