Weekly Reader – December 10, 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, December 10

The Four Principles of Venture Funding (Terry Winograd, Jocelyn Goldfein, and Robert Bank, SSIR) Whether someone is investing in a tech startup or a grassroots advocacy organization, the same rules of success apply.

Tuesday, December 11

A Failure to Communicate (Maya Winkelstein, CEP Blog) In CEP’s recent report, Strengthening Grantees: Foundation and Nonprofit Perspectives, the executive summary leads with the conclusion that “foundations are not as in touch with nonprofits’ needs as they think.”

Wednesday, December 12

Wield Power to Yield Change: Anecdotes and Tips from the Field (Reed Young, NCRP Blog) To be bold public advocates for equity, funders need to ask themselves hard questions, listen to the wisdom of communities and lead by example.

Thursday, December 13

Selecting a Pool of Bold Ideas (Anne Ferola and Lindsay Kijewski, SSIR) How the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy winnowed 100&Change’s Top 200 proposals.

Friday, December 14

Philanthropy’s Ripple Effect: When Funders Seed a Field (Judy Cameron and Susan Nall Bales, Nonprofit Quarterly) Too often, philanthropy’s impact on the world is telescoped into an originating gesture and instant gratification. But the changes we see in the world that emanate from great philanthropic insights rarely happen this way.