Philanthropy Sherpas Blog

Bragging...it's not just for jerks

10/29/2009

Most foundations and nonprofits have probably heard this advice before. To be effective, you must influence others – service providers, policymakers or funders. To do so, you have to tell your story so your influentials can hear and understand it. Susan Parker form Clear Thinking Communications has a neatly written piece: “Is Your Good Work Going Unnoticed? Seven Mistakes Foundations and Nonprofits Make (and How to Fix Them)” that is worth a read.

Tell your story this way:

Toot your own horn.
Talk about what worked and what didn’t work and be specific.
Find something in your work that defies conventional wisdom.
Talk about your work in plain English. [See Tony Proscio's booklets at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation]
Tell the stories of the people you helped that includes the drama and ups and downs of real-life.
Ask your audiences what they need.
Find a message and stick to it.

—Julia

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"What's your favorite shade of pinko?"

10/8/2009

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One of my favorite philanthropy blogs is Albert Ruesga’s White Courtesy Telephone: News, Opinions and Commentary from Inside the Third Sector. My commitment to this blog may be partially due to the fact that I’ve known Albert for many years (currently he is President & CEO of the Greater New Orleans Community Foundation), but mostly it’s because I appreciate his sense of humor and his insights. An entry about social justice philanthropy (“what’s your favorite shade of pinko?”) has a short paragraph describing how social justice philanthropy can vary:

“Our work in social justice philanthropy will differ primarily along five axes: (1) our definition of social justice, (2) our goals, (3) our analysis of the problem we choose to address, (4) our choice of strategy and tactics, and (5) the values that animate our work.”

This list of five axes could apply to grantmaking about any issue or from any construct.

As a grantmaker, you should ask yourself if you have thoroughly thought out:

the definition of your focus area
a clear articulation of your goals
the analysis of the problem you chose to address
your choice of strategy and tactics
the values that animate your work



—Julia

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