By Sara Beggs, ASF

Over the past 5 years, 70 committed ASF members have explored the path to impact in small-staff philanthropy and worked to make impact more accessible to funders. We’re delighted to share some of the Impact Working Group’s insights in this and future posts, and in a section of ASF’s website dedicated to achieving impact.

Are you achieving the results you intend from your investments of dollars and time? Are you applying a key ingredient: intentionality?

Intentional funders are thoughtful and purposeful. They know that achieving impact takes knowledge, planning, tough choices, good relationships, and often more than money.

Intentionality in researching the context—Just as successful businesses assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, successful funders understand the context in which they operate. It is critical to grasp key players, field dynamics, funding sources, effective strategies, gaps, and more. Download Scanning the Landscape: Assessing Needs and Finding Your Funding Niche

Intentionality in defining a road map—Funders who achieve impact typically outline a clear plan to achieve their goals and intentionally apply dollars and time according to that plan. They also make adjustments, assess results, and use that learning in the next round of planning and implementation.

To develop a plan for your giving, you must start with the end in mind. If you are successful in the work you care about, what will success look like? Once defined, you can work backward: What must happen before that can be achieved? And before that? And before that?

See our primer Getting to Impact Through Planning

Find dozens of other resources to help you define a road map (for ASF members—join today!)

Intentionality in building relationships—Funders can level the playing field with grantees in a number of ways:

• Communicating mission and guidelines clearly
• Keeping application and reporting requirements minimal
• Being available to answer questions
• Being humble

There is also great power in relationships with fellow funders and other usual and “unusual” suspects who may be able to help your foundation achieve its goals, such as policymakers, voters, educators, and many other individuals, organizations, networks, and systems. Rarely can a lone funder achieve lasting impact.

See the articles A Conversation With Experienced Collaborators and Engaging the Unusual Suspects

Intentionality in applying more than money—Funders are increasingly aware that financial resources are just one of their many assets, and, in many cases, one of the smaller ones. To achieve greater impact, you must employ all your resources: dollars, influence, reputation, connections, knowledge, experience, and the power to convene.

See our primer Twenty Ways to Make a Difference

Communities across the country and around the world are seeking funders to partner with them for increased impact.

Will you be among them?

Related posts

Ask Your Way to Impact: Holding Up the Mirror

Continual Learning Through Intention and Evaluation

Gauge Your Total Philanthropic Impact

Related resources

ASF’s resources on impact and evaluation

Just released: ASF’s issue of Essentials on impact (for ASF members—join today!)

Getting to Impact: What Does Success Look Like? October 22 | Buzzards Bay, MA

A Conversation on Philanthropic Impact: Good Grantmaking Demands Field Knowledge November 6 | Chicago

Senior Program Manager Sara Beggs currently focuses her time and energy on ASF’s Getting to Impact Initiative, an effort to equip ASF members with the information and inspiration to achieve greater impact over time. Her greatest philanthropic joy is participation in Blooming Kids for Kindness, a group of ten families that encourage their children to care about their communities and recognize that each can make a difference through local and international volunteer and fundraising activities.