The intent of these reflections is to provide food for thought to funders and nonprofits alike.

From the opening bell, the group was encouraged to “embrace discomfort, take risks, and listen to a wide range of perspectives”

Over 800 foundations, families, and individuals who give with few or no staff gathered recently in Philadelphia. From the opening bell, the group was encouraged to “embrace discomfort, take risks, and listen to a wide range of perspectives” offered through provocative key note addresses, interactive sessions and site visits, and through exchanging ideas with peers from across the country.

It is has been some time since I attended this conference and I was energized by the content and the people I met. I found attendees were intent upon learning ways in which their dollars can have greater impact and there is a strong interest in focused giving versus utilizing a shotgun approach. What I found most exciting is an appetite for partnering with other funders, nonprofit organizations, schools, governments, community members, and more to thoughtfully and creatively address pressing issues.

Breakout sessions included:

• discussions on moving grantmaking from transactional to transformational,

• taking a hard look at questions asked on applications to ensure the information obtained from applicants is what matters most to the funder and their board,

• digging deep into a process one funder used to move an idea for a community-wide initiative into a reality,

• and a thought provoking spin on organizational effectiveness of nonprofits that includes a deep-dive look at revenue strategies.
  

One of the questions asked was how does this foundation select projects since they are often in the early stages of development. Their answer - leadership.

We were also offered a peek into how one foundation invests in “game changers” or folks who have wild and crazy solutions. You may recognize a few of the grantees - Upstream USA, Kiva, OpenBiome, and The Common Market. One of the questions asked was how does this foundation select projects since they are often in the early stages of development. Their answer - leadership.

The foundation looks for organizations in which founders are involved as it shows a high level of commitment to the idea and its execution, ones in which there is a learning mindset and a focus on data and how it is used or reiterated, and on leaders who are humble and have an interest in looking to others to help solve issues. In my opinion, these qualities translate to all grantmaking and are something nonprofits and funders alike should keep in mind.

Now that I am back in Dallas and have reflected on the conference, I am more determined than ever to partner with leaders of nonprofit organizations who are looking to flush out and implement magic wand ideas. I am also determined to connect with funders and to work with them in unearthing ways to make their grantmaking more fun.