Giving Compass' Take:

• Jen Bokoff shares five ways to clean up your philanthropy to increase your impact and cut down on drag. 

• Which of these practices could your organization change to improve your work? 

• Learn about ten ways to be a better grantmaker. 

When people and places take pride in tidiness, shared space, and orderly mores, interaction becomes more effective and enjoyable. The same is a helpful reminder for philanthropy in more ways than we might think! To name a few:

Keep up appearances: Make sure that your website is easy to use and accessible, that your funding data tells a clear story, and that your grant applications have clear, reasonable instructions.

Lose the baggage: If you’ve found yourself saying, “Well, this is how we’ve always done it,” as justification for maintaining a status quo, stop!

Make space for everyone ...: Budget meaningful professional development opportunities for all staff; encourage not-the-usual voices to author articles and attend events; make introductions and offer mentorship; meaningfully listen to questions and new ideas, and encourage co-creation of solutions.

… but don’t create a traffic jam: Respect roles, including that of gatekeepers, and engage meaningfully with whoever you’re in contact with.

Grapple with tough stuff: It’s easy to become resigned to sub-optimal norms, but that doesn’t make it right.

Read the full article about cleaning up philanthropy by Jen Bokoff at GuideStar by Candid.