Who Exactly are the Customers of a Nonprofit Organization?

Chronicle of Philanthropy, Mark Kramer argues that every nonprofit institution has three indispensable "customers:" the clients it serves, the donors who support it, and the volunteers or staff members who help get the work done. The failure to serve any one, while tolerable in the short run, will sooner or later undermine the organization's survival

The Evaluation Matrix

Evaluation is one of the most confusing topics in philanthropy -- in part because it embraces multiple definitions that are often jumbled together. Evaluation often refers to at least three different kinds of measures: monitoring measures that typically focus on whether grant money is being expended for its intended purpose; process measures that offer data on interim measures of grantor and grantee processes believed to be indicative of future success; and impact measures that assess whether giving is achieving the desired level of social progress. Each of these measures can in turn be assessed at three different levels: the individual grant, the program, and the grantor as a whole. Combining these measures and levels produces a nine-part matrix that begins to tease out some of evaluation's varied meanings

Allocating Resources in a Time of Scarcity

In response to declining investment returns, many foundations are implementing across-the-board cuts for grantees. This 2002 article argues, that there is a better approach. Particularly in tough times foundations should concentrate their giving in those areas in which their expertise, relationships, and grantees create the greatest value. It also makes the case that foundation-level, rather than grant-level, evaluation is the way to identify those areas with the greatest potential for social impact

Better Outcomes, Lower Costs: How Community-Based Funders Can Transform U.S. Health Care

Mark Kramer and Dr. Atul Gawande discuss the untapped potential for community-based funders to transform the cost and quality of health care in the United States. Individually, these funders have the opportunity to make a profound and lasting impact on the health of their communities; together, they have the opportunity to create a national movement to achieve better outcomes at lower cost

Risk, Return and Social Impact: Demystifying the Law of Mission Investing by U.S. Foundations

Discusses in detail the legal aspects of mission-related investing, including federal and state fiduciary laws, foundations' fiduciary responsibility, and emerging practices, and makes recommendations. Includes examples of investments and case studies

The Power of Strategic Mission Investing

A growing number of foundations are offering low-interest loans, buying into green business ventures, and investing in other asset classes to advance their missions. Yet most mission investing remains haphazard and inconsequential. To bring about real change, foundations need to take a fundamentally different approach, making strategic mission investments that complement their grantmaking. Authors Mark Kramer and Sarah Cooch talk about strategic mission investing in the Fall 2007 issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review

A Brief Guide to the Law of Mission Investing for U.S. Foundations

U.S foundations have considerable freedom to invest their assets in ways that further their missions, even at greater risk or lower financial return. The legal framework that governs the investment of foundation assets is both complex and ambiguous, however, with the result that many foundation leaders and investment advisors are unclear about what is legally permissible. Anne Stetson and Mark Kramer of FSG have prepared two reports, in consultation with nationally-recognized legal experts and senior foundation officers, analyzing the federal tax and state fiduciary laws as they apply to US foundations. In addition to legal analysis, the reports provide practical recommendations as to how foundations can best navigate these laws in making mission-related or program-related investments. A Brief Guide to the Law of Mission Investing for U.S. Foundations is a short 18 page booklet, suitable for foundation staff and boards, as well as their advisors, explaining in non-technical language the factors foundations must consider in making mission investments