Grantmaking & Giving Platforms: How Do I Find a System with Staying Power? December 6, 2018 By Claire Schultz With ever-rising expectations and the public’s demand for positive social impact, funders want their grantmaking programs to meet these higher standards. But finding the right system to meet your needs and budget can be a daunting task—especially with so many to choose from. That’s why it’s important to define a clear process to understand your options before investing the time and money. Your organization wants a system that will be a long-term success.
One Size Does Not Fit All: Program Management Software Solutions February 8, 2016 By Marketing Admin As today’s leading companies launch and expand corporate citizenship programs, they continue to seek greater social and environmental impact. While they operate at various levels of scale, they all face critical challenges around tracking and reporting data, operational inefficiencies, and nonprofit relations. When it comes to researching and selecting a software solution, what service areas exist and what questions should be asked? TCC’s James Gaynor sheds some light on the ever-changing technology options, and how clients develop customized criteria to make the best decision.
FAQs: Foundation Core Capacity Assessment Tool (FCCAT) January 18, 2016 By Marketing Admin WHAT IS THE HISTORY BEHIND THE FCCAT? For many years, the social sector has witnessed an increase in the attention paid to nonprofit and grantee capacity, but comparatively little formal and field-wide examination of the kinds of institutional capacity needed by foundations to deliver on their missions. There have been important efforts, such as getting … Continued
10 Critical Questions A Smart Impact Investor Should Ask (And Be Able to Answer) December 23, 2015 By Marketing Admin With the rhetoric around impact investing reaching new heights, foundations and nonprofits would do well to keep the following in mind: Similar to grants, or different forms of non-grantmaking support, impact investing is but one tool in the social impact toolbox. Senior Consultant, Marieke Spence, shares ten critical questions a foundation should ask during the planning and investing process.
Why Democratic Grantmaking Cuts Across Party Lines December 3, 2015 By Marketing Admin TCC’s Ashley Blanchard shares how the Hill-Snowden Foundation, for which she serves as a trustee, has made lasting impact in social justice philanthropy by seeing the work firsthand.
Toolkit Troubles? TCC’s Evaluators Share Their Top Tips October 18, 2015 By Marketing Admin Toolkits have the potential to impact nonprofit effectiveness. TCC Group’s work evaluating toolkits has identified 5 essential elements of creating and maintaining this powerful resource.
CASE STUDY: Supporting Organizational Effectiveness Within Movements October 6, 2015 By Marketing Admin Funders supporting movements face a unique set of challenges when trying to support organizations working for the same cause. In their efforts to increase organizational effectiveness, foundations invariably face questions of credibility and control, and sometimes encounter diverging understandings of success. This case study profiles how TCC Group – with its partner, the Wikimedia Foundation – developed an innovative, participatory approach to these challenges, resulting in increased organizational effectiveness in the Wikimedia movement.
Are Your Trustees Involved Too Much—or Too Little—in Grantmaking? August 22, 2015 By Marketing Admin It can be difficult to determine the right role for foundation trustees in the business of grantmaking. Ashley Blanchard, Associate Director of Philanthropy, drawing on her experience as a consultant and trustee, offers several strategies to help foundation trustees use the grantmaking process as a learning opportunity, positioning them to more effectively fulfill their duties of strategy-setting and oversight.
Game-Changing Philanthropy: Is Sean Parker the Daenerys Targaryen of Philanthropy? July 12, 2015 By Marketing Admin Senior Consultant Marieke Spence recently wrote a blog post for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, commenting on an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sean Parker (“Philanthropy for Hackers“). In the post, Marieke critique’s Parker’s approach and suggests some guiding principles for Parker to consider as he launches his new private foundation.
Why Doing Good is Good Business June 29, 2015 By Marketing Admin TCC Group’s CEO, Richard Mittenthal, is featured in the current edition of Profile Magazine, a publication that “identifies and promotes innovation in prominent American industries.”
4 Steps to Leverage Your Philanthropic Impact with Non-Grantmaking Roles April 11, 2015 By Marketing Admin Increasingly, funders want to take on more catalytic roles within their communities. Creative grantmaking can help them move in this direction. But without realizing the potential of their non-grantmaking activity—convening, advocating, training, or educating—foundations may be leaving significant value on the table. In a recent GrantCraft blog post, TCC’s Philanthropy Senior Consultant Marieke Spence outlines a straightforward but holistic process for funders considering non-grantmaking roles using relevant examples from the field.
Meeting a Family’s Growing Philanthropic Needs February 23, 2015 By Marketing Admin Over the past 10 years, TCC Group has provided the Ohrstrom Foundation with administrative and grantmaking support and has guided its governance planning, program and operations, and grant assessment. Through our day-to-day management of the foundation, we identify and address emergent issues, drawing on our years of experience working with family foundations to develop solutions that balance effective philanthropic strategy within the unique context of family giving.
Coordinated Funding: Lessons from a Place-Based Grantmaking Collaborative January 10, 2015 By Marketing Admin Three grantmakers in Michigan, including Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, the United Way of Washtenaw County, and the Joint Office of Community and Economic Development, recently coordinated the leadership and funding of the region’s human service programs in order to maximize community impact. During TCC Group’s evaluation of the initiative, we identified several community assets and early successes that aided the implementation of this innovative funding model, which may prove useful to others considering engaging in such a collaborative effort.
A New Approach to Capacity Building January 1, 2015 By Marketing Admin TCC’s Directors published “Relational Capacity: A New Approach to Capacity Building in Philanthropy” in the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy’s winter journal. The article outlines a new vision of the relationship between funders and nonprofits, one that is collaborative, mutual and iterative. Today’s complex challenges require more effective collaboration within and across sectors.
Foundation Strategies to Inform Federal Policy in the United States December 5, 2014 By Marketing Admin Commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, TCC Group’s latest research examines what motivates foundations to engage in advocacy, the methods they apply, and the results they achieve. Although the study focuses on federal policy, many of factors and strategies relate directly to foundation policy reform activities at all levels of government.