May 13, 2013; EffectivePhilanthropy.org
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Of course it is important to document such stuff, but did we really need to formalize the point that we hate it when institutions that have control over money we hope to use refuse to be clear about how they do business? But the Center for Effective Philanthropy released a report this week, based on a survey of 300 nonprofit leaders, which concludes that nonprofits want foundations to be more transparent about foundations’ decision-making processes, what they know about the issues and fields in which they are working, and how foundations assess performance and impact.
Still, there is some good news in the report. Nonprofits cited the ways in which the majority (by a very slight margin) feel that foundations are not “transparent enough,” and these included such basic items as making contact information for foundation staff clear and letting folks know when your grant officer or the head of the foundation has changed. I’ll leave you to read the rest of the report and we’d love to know how you make use of it!—Ruth McCambridge
