The last decade has seen an explosion in the growth of American philanthropy. The number of foundations in the United States soared by 55%; the number of nonprofit organizations climbed by 58%.

Beyond these institutional figures, philanthropic capacity has grown. Private foundations, community foundations, corporate foundations, grant making public charities, and individuals of wealth continue to form an increasingly changing mosaic of philanthropy – one that relies more and more on research, outcomes, open communication, strategy, and partnership.

At JGA, we’ve applied our more than 110 years of nonprofit experience to grant-seeking as well as grant-making organizations. In our service, we’ve learned that those who bestow gifts and those who receive them hold much in common. Both seek to remain faithful to vision, mission, and values while operating effective programs. Both must sustain effective organizations and illuminate the positive impact of grants. Both must meet societal scrutiny of their activities and measure the good they are doing.

At JGA, we don’t work from a pattern or formula – our approach is to ask the right questions and guide the client to the right answers.

• How can you pursue the right opportunities to advance your foundation’s mission while managing overall expectations?
• Are you re-evaluating your foundation’s operations as a result of changing community needs or a change in your philanthropic environment?
• In addition to meeting various disclosure requirements, have you thought about what certain disclosures say about your foundation and your philanthropic interests?
• Are you seeking to partner with others and become more engaged with those you seek to help?

Since our beginnings, we’ve helped nonprofit organizations clarify mission and strategy. We’ve helped foundations reflect upon and capture the historical values of their founder(s) while developing a plan for the future. We’ve helped private foundations in times of transition. We’ve helped foundations gather community input and assess community need.

Foundations constantly send signals that drive behavior. We’ve helped foundations send the right signals – whether in the context of a strategic shift in grant making or for an asset development initiative of a community foundation.

We’ve done all this by engaging others, asking the right questions and listening.

• Do you know all the issues that your foundation is trying to address through its grant programs?
• Do you need help designing a program or initiative that addresses those key issues without duplicating or contradicting other efforts?
• Does your foundation have the right people in the right places to effectively deploy the plan?
• Do you know how your foundation should measure results and assess impact?

Grant programs and initiatives are where most foundations make an impact. However, strategic plans often don’t come with a “how-to” manual.

JGA has helped foundation leadership and staff pivot from planning to action. We’ve helped launch and activate strategic plans. We’ve helped design and implement new programs and approaches. We’ve helped foundations get their messages across and manage the demand for their resources.

For some foundations, we’ve been there every step of the way – from planning to implementation to evaluation – not in place of staff, but as a coach and a guide. For others, we’ve been called upon for specific advice. In all cases we’ve brought our experience, our objectivity and our follow-through.

• Would you like to see your foundation’s board, officers and staff to work more cohesively?
• Does your foundation see a need to recruit or develop leadership at the board or staff levels?
• Does your foundation have issues concerning governance or allocation of responsibility and authority between the board and staff?

The values of a foundation are sustained by capable leadership and an effective organization. We’ve counseled foundations through leadership transitions, ensuring that their values were upheld as they sought to meet the pressing needs of the present and plan for the future. We’ve also helped foundations assess what leadership they need to build for the future and create a plan of action to recruit the right people for the right positions.

Our extensive experience with nonprofits has reinforced our belief that staff and board must work together and in support of one another to achieve the mission. At JGA we work constructively with all leaders, consistently guiding talent toward an appropriate role.

• Are you seeking a way to measure and evaluate the impact of a particular program or the foundation’s philanthropy in general?
• Do you need guidance in creating a fair an effective evaluation system?
• When do I need to take a deeper look and get a more objective view?

Evaluation is perhaps the most important and least executed aspects of philanthropic strategy. It isn’t easy. One has to ask the tough questions and then listen to the answers.

Evaluation shouldn’t be retributive or episodic, but part of an ongoing, reflective process. It can help your foundation engage the community of grant seekers and the community-at-large. It can reinforce best practices and generate trust and confidence in your foundation’s stewardship of its philanthropic assets.

At JGA, we work with foundations that use evaluation as more than a report card. We’ve helped foundations use evaluation to evoke a better understanding of philanthropy and serve as a guide to future action for both the foundation and the funding recipient.

We’ve helped foundations conduct intensive external evaluations not by applying a formula, but by creating a process that suits their needs. We can work with your foundation to develop an appropriate scope of work and research design that gets to the questions that are most in need of answers.