This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Localisation. Shift the Power. Locally Led Development. These phrases dominate aid sector debates and demand one simple change: for resources and decision-making to be brought closer to those they’re meant to serve.
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy (CLIP) is a mindset that transforms lean funders from grantmakers into changemakers. Its key skills—listening deeply, building strong relationships, and understanding the landscape—help funders stay grounded in their communities and use every asset at their…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Across the country, nonprofits, advocacy groups, and philanthropic institutions are being forced into survival mode. Executive orders threaten public funding, communities face mounting attacks, and nonprofit organizations operate in crisis mode. In the scramble for survival, many organizations are overlooking an issue that undermines their impact: siloed communications. While external threats mount, fragmented messaging and disconnected teams weaken the ability to demonstrate value, rally supporters, and defend missions. The sector may not be able to control every crisis coming its way, but it can confront the internal barriers that keep it from strengthening its reach. An upcoming paper from TCC Group explores integrated communications, where storytelling and strategy aren’t separate departments but embedded approaches across every program, team, and interaction. By building communications into their very infrastructure, organizations can create much-needed cohesion to amplify their mission. Through interviews (conducted in 2024) with 10 communications leaders across nonprofits and philanthropic institutions, we uncovered practical strategies to move communications from the margins to the core of organizational operations. What Makes Communications “Integrated”? In traditional communications approaches, communications is factored in late in the process and is often limited to promoting programs once they are already developed. In those models, communications is typically separated from program teams and viewed as a support function focused on external visibility, often measured by press coverage, social media activity, or event promotion. By comparison, integrated communications positions communications professionals as thought partners and collaborators with program teams, shaping strategies and decisions from the start. Audiences are not treated as generic, but as diverse communities whose perspectives guide both program design and communications. Success is not defined simply by visibility, but by communications’ direct contribution to mission outcomes, stronger community engagement, and long-term systems change. In an integrated model, communications is a core element of strategy and design….
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Adopting AI for nonprofits doesn’t mean losing empathy; it means enhancing impact with smarter tools.
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. The Champlin Foundation’s Nina Stack talks with CEP’s Emily Radwin about how the Foundation modernized with grantee feedback in mind.
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. by Janti Soeripto When the Trump administration issued its January 20 executive order announcing that it was freezing all U.S. foreign development assistance—funding that typically accounts for about a third of Save the Children’s annual global program budget—our senior team was already gathered…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Imagine your neighborhood, town, city, or rural community is facing a significant need or an exciting opportunity, yet it is lacking the financial resources to respond. Too often, the funding and decisions that shape our communities are made far from home without local voices at the table.
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Natalia Kiryttopoulou highlights two practices of UK-based funder Paul Hamlyn Foundation who has received high ratings in CEP’s Grantee Perception Report.
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Purpose, values, and humility will be the social sector’s greatest strengths.
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. “At the end of the day, because we’re a nonprofit trying to help people, we have to keep on trying.”…
Dawn Price signs rent checks worth about $160,000 every month for 79 people that her nonprofit helps house in Laguna Beach, California. Usually, she logs into an online portal to withdraw enough from an account funded by a grant from the federal housing agency. But in February, she couldn’t. Access …
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. In Mexico, community foundations are building vital bridges of trust between donors and civil society, turning intent into lasting impact.