A word we can’t seem to get enough of in the non-profit sector is “impact.” We want to have more impact. We want to support organizations that make an impact. But what do really mean when we talk about impact? For most organizations, impact means success in solving a specific problem or achieving their mission. …
DetailsMy own mother is an absolute inspiration to me. Early on she instilled in me a sense of giving back. She taught me that philanthropy isn’t just about causes, philanthropy is about people. So this Mother’s Day, I wanted to give her something that also gave back and made the world a better place. Here…
DetailsLast month we wrote about taking your Board from a “Founding Board” to a “Funding Board” and we highlighted a tool to evaluate your board composition. So what if you find major gaps in experience and skills on your Board? How to you begin the long task of recruiting new Board members? At Starfish Impact,…
DetailsAh, April – the season for accounting and paperwork. In the spirit of looking back, organizing, and checklists we put together a list of things all family foundations should be considering on an annual basis. Although it’s hard to make time for reflection, making time to consider the following areas once a year is key…
DetailsWe have heard from a lot of companies that would like to do more for their communities but are constrained by limited philanthropic dollars. So we were delighted to hear about the giving program at First Foundation, Supporting Our Communities. Conceived by Doug Freeman, Director of Trust Services and Consulting, the program aims to support…
DetailsTwitter can be a loud place. With 6,000 tweets per minute, it can be a hard place to be heard. But in addition to building a brand and a presence on Twitter, you should be using Twitter as a research tool. We’ve found some amazing resources out there for family foundations and non-profit organizations. First,…
DetailsWe hear it all the time. “I wish my Board would fundraise.” If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Survey after survey shows that getting the board to fundraise is the number one area that non-profits say needs improvement. Part of the reason is that fundraising is a different skill than most Board members use…
DetailsA few weeks ago we wrote about Corporate Social Responsibility for smaller companies. In that article we talked about how companies of any size can benefit from CSR efforts, provided goals are clear and employees are involved. Stacy Phillips, Managing Principal at Phillips Lerner, has a near-perfect example of a CSR program that gets maximum…
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