Weekly Reader – January 8, 2018

What we’re reading and recommending this week. We add to this post throughout the week and look for your suggestions in the comments.

Monday, January 8

Why We Accept Proposals Written for Other Funders (Lisa Pilar Cowan, Exponent Philanthropy) As soon as we determined the ‘what,’ we started to rethink the ‘how’ of our approach to grantmaking.

Tuesday, January 9

4 Ways Funders Can Meet Their Goals For 2018 (Kris Putnam-Walkerly, Giving Compass) As we all begin to focus on a new year, there’s a tendency to start thinking of everything we want to accomplish. If you find yourself hyperventilating, take some deep breaths and repeat after me: “I can do this.”

Wednesday, January 10

Philanthropy Forecast, 2018: Trends and Issues To Watch (David Callahan, Inside Philanthropy) When I first started following philanthropy over 20 years ago, it was a pretty sleepy sector. And, in just the past few years, things have speeded up sharply, with a host of new mega-givers embarking on ambitious philanthropy.

Thursday, January 11

What Happens When a Funder Listens to Nonprofit Advice on Good Grantmaking? (Steve Dubb, Nonprofit Quarterly) Prodded in part by a national call by nine nonprofit leaders to philanthropy to adopt grantmaking practices that are more actively supportive and respectful, Iowa West Foundation CEO Pete Tulipana outlined some of the ways the foundation has sought to become more responsive to community needs.

Friday, January 12

4 Ways To Avoid Getting Stuck On Policy Island (Charlie Toulmin, Medium) The intersection of policy and grantmaking was new both to me and the Foundation, and over the past decade I’ve learned a lot about how to navigate effectively in this space.

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