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Foundations talk strategy, but few follow clear plan October 12, 2007
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Ian Wilhelm at the Chronicle of Philanthropy observes a discrepancy between foundation talk and action. He writes in the latest issue that while many foundations say they have a strategy for their giving, a new report suggests only a small number of grant makers actually do.
After interviewing 42 chief executives and program officers at two dozen large philanthropies, a report identifies 11 staff members who could articulate a coherent plan for their fund’s efforts. While almost all the respondents said they believe in the value of having a strategy, few backed up their words with action, according to the Center for Effective Philanthropy, a research group in Cambridge, Mass., that produced the study.“There’s this huge chasm between rhetoric — ‘We believe in strategy’ — and reality,” said Phil Buchanan, the center’s president. “People tend to think they are more strategic than they are.”
The 28-page report, “Beyond the Rhetoric: Foundation Strategy,” is available free on a new web site the center has made for the report.
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