The value of philanthropy goes well beyond that of dollars and cents. Non-financial assistance can impact nonprofits in profound ways.

The third most common suggestion from nonprofit leaders — from 15 percent of respondents — is a desire for even more of these types of support. Nonprofit CEOs speak to the value of funder-provided support beyond the grant — also known as nonmonetary assistance — noting that “the most valued funders are those who work with us to increase our capacity and impact.”

Yet, when we look at the data from first-time GPR users, for example, we don’t see much change over time in the proportion of grantees receiving these valuable intensive patterns of nonmonetary support from their funders. Indeed, only 29 percent of foundation leaders say their foundation provides assistance beyond the grant to the majority of its grantees.

To staff at foundations, here are some discussion questions to consider as you reflect on these suggestions:

  • How does your foundation determine which types of nonmonetary support to provide — and to whom — and how does the provision of this support contribute to your programmatic goals?
  • What are you doing to make grantees comfortable sharing their capacity needs with you? Are you asking grantees directly about what supports they need most?
  • What nonmonetary support might you provide to grantees to help them — and you — achieve shared goals? How do you assess this work to ensure that these types of support are useful for grantees?
  • In light of this frequent request from grantees, where might there be opportunity to facilitate connections between your grantees?

Read the full article about going beyond grants by Naomi Orensten at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.