Summer 2008
Trustees Value Learning From Each
Other
Foundation trustees and staff interviewed for the Summer issue of Giving Forum often cited the Engaged Learning Principle, one of MCF's Principles for Grantmakers, as central to their daily work and professional growth.
For instance, the principle comes into play with first-time Sundance Family Foundation board members. "It's huge to us that they have an opportunity to meet other people in the philanthropy world and build their own knowledge base and their own sense of self esteem and competency," explains foundation co-founder Nancy Jacobs. "Sharing snowballs in a positive way. The more they know and understand and connect with other donors and donees, the more they want to be involved and feel they have something to say."
Jenny Anderson of Deluxe notes that when questions surface about grant-related issues, she often does more research by turning to her colleagues in MCF's Senior Community Affairs Professionals (SCAP) network. "SCAP has surveys and other information for us to consider," she notes. "By talking to other corporate grantmakers, I learn they've been through similar situations, and I can do a bit of benchmarking and discover various options."
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Corey Sauer |
Corey Sauer, trustee and president-elect of the Sauer Children's Renew Foundation, says hiring an executive director has been an amazing thing for his family's foundation: "It's wonderful having a professional out in the philanthropic community, representing us and taking in resources and finding connections in ways we weren't able to do before." And he's pleased that his mother is now freed up to focus on other things in the foundation's "mind and heart," such as developing ways for third-generation family members to become involved.
Both Sauer and executive director Colleen O'Keefe attend MCF seminars and roundtable discussions, so they can learn as much as possible about grantmaking processes, board leadership and specific issues related to disadvantaged children. "We need to stay in touch with realities, find out what progress is being made and who the other players are who may be doing this better then we are," he notes.
Jacobs reports that the Sundance trustees attend MCF and other trainings regularly, bringing back what they've learned with reports at meetings or online summaries. She herself pores over lots of written information because, she says, "The more we understand who is out there and what programs seem to be working well, the more confident we feel about the work that we do."
She also credits their foundation consultant, Mary Karen Lynn Klimenko, for being connected with the community and being a great pipeline to information about other foundations and networking opportunities.
"As family philanthropists," says Jacobs, "it is our job to stay abreast of best practices and current trends in the field. We attend and speak at workshops. Sundance hosts panels and speakers to strengthen our knowledge base and commitment to excellence in the field. We attend organization and program functions in an effort to network with foundation colleagues, foundation recipients and donees. We all make annual site visits, both to programs that we have funded, as well as programs that we would like to know more about. We strive to collaborate with other family foundations to leverage funds and information."
© Copyright 2008 Minnesota Council on Foundations
Reproduction in any form without the written permission of the publisher
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