Giving Compass' Take:

• Forbes has published a report on the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), which is in turmoil following several executive resignations, high turnover from what former employees called a toxic work culture and grants management challenges due to poor infrastructure, along with a mission that emphasized acquisition over cultivation.

• This is a sobering look at an influential entity in the nonprofit world that attracted high-profile donors such as Mark Zuckerberg and Paul Allen, but may now be in peril because of alleged neglect and abuse from upper management. What can organizations large and small learn from this messy situation? How can we do better?

• The Center For Family Philanthropy discusses three ways to build a culture of respect at foundations.

Though its name makes it sound like a sleepy regional entity, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation is far from it. It’s the largest community foundation in the country measured by assets. In the past six years it opened offices in San Francisco and Manhattan. Its CEO, Emmett Carson, makes nearly $1 million a year and tools around the Bay Area in a fancy white BMW M3. The foundation distributed $1.3 billion in grants in 2017, some of which went to 66 countries around the world ...

But the outward appearance of success at SVCF has been accompanied by inner turmoil, which rose to a boil in the latter half of April when the number two executive and the head of human resources resigned and the CEO was put on administrative leave. The problems at the foundation run deep, say former employees. For most of his decade-long tenure, Carson has focused on growth in assets above all else. Former employees say he tolerated bullying and sexual harassment by the former number two executive.

The foundation failed to invest in the technology and staff it needed to process the grants that came along with the growth, which meant long hours for staff, who consequently were more prone to make errors when distributing grants. All of this led to a high rate of employee turnover and — perhaps most damaging — big money donors walking out the door.

Read the full article about the Silicon Valley Community Foundation's problems by Kelly A. Dolan at Forbes.