Giving Compass' Take:

• In this Grantmakers for Effective Organizations post, nonprofit leaders share what grantmakers can be doing to support grantees in more meaningful ways.

• The upshot is support goes beyond dollars. Capacity building, trust and equity must be at the core of the work funders do, making sure that every voice is heard in the process.

• Here's more on how grantmakers can be true partners.

We are a diverse group of nonprofit executives who have spent the last 18 months coming together to explore how philanthropy can better support nonprofits to create real change as members of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations’ Nonprofit Advisory Council.

We appreciate the ways in which philanthropy has been shifting in recent years — toward longer-term grants, collective learning, and engaging us and the communities we serve in decision-making. The momentum is rolling in the right direction.

And there is so much more we can do to create greater outcomes if grantmakers and nonprofits push the boundaries of what it means to partner.

We encourage you to be bold — this is not a time for baby steps. Here are four key tactics to consider.

  • Look at longer time-horizons and define the grant period based upon the time it really takes to make change and build in long-term sustainability.
  • Make capacity building a core strategy, not an add-on.
  • Deepen open, honest grantor-grantee relationships to allow you to take risks with confidence.
  • Bring marginalized people and those impacted by your work into key leadership roles.

We are a country of abundance. We are vested partners in this business of problem-solving and change-making. Let us move forward boldly in relationship and trust — in the name of creating better solutions and making greater progress, together.

Read the full article about how grantmakers can better support nonprofits by Nonprofit Advisory Council at GEO Funders.