Welcome! You are registered for the HDPI Executive Seminar on applying tailored fundraising and institutional development. This website is the platform for all seminar resources, which will be uploaded in advance of the first session. Until then, we ask you please read the below information and complete a questionnaire to prepare us for our work together. Thank you!

BACKGROUND STATEMENT

Over the years, foundations have developed approaches to increasing their philanthropic impact by providing support beyond project dollars to help grantees become more effective in their work. Many organizations with meaningful contributions to make are limited in their efforts by a weak understanding of how to build institutional sustainability, including securing a solid resource base. Learning the principles of effective organizational development, resource mobilization and engaging philanthropy can make all the difference for sustaining impact.

Consider for instance how the Kresge Foundation first realized they were not applying funds as broadly as they aimed to – because not all of the impactful organizations they came across were qualifying for their grants. The issue of grant eligibility and due diligence practices were exclusionary for small and community-based groups and non-profits, which prevented them from being funded and limited their access to resources. The foundation leadership realized this was causing investments to fall short of reaching their full potential, and preventing the foundation’s intended impact at scale. Kresge began assessing how to help more organizations access funding and qualify for foundation grants. They focused on making grantees more effective in their work by supporting them with skills to support their own development – e.g. by learning fundraising skills. To build organizational capacities of grantees, the foundation specifically developed a methodology in which to teach capital campaign fundraising tools in every grant they made. This allowed many new groups to build the infrastructure and capacity necessary to implement their work and sustain it. By transferring knowledge and providing support beyond project dollars, the grantmaking and the work became more effective overall.

This shift in approach not only allowed the foundation to diversify its grantmaking and increase the impact of its funding but simultaneously supported grantee organizations in becoming much more self-sufficient and successful as institutions. In applying this learning to the Alliance for Health Equity and the Chester County community, this executive seminar will be aimed at enhancing the Alliance for Health Equity’s grantmaking dollars with a co-creation approach.

GETTING STARTED

We see the Alliance of Health Equity’s idea to provide services along with funding as outstanding and are thrilled you seek to understand and institutionalize this approach. Our effort, over five interactive sessions, will be to act as a co-creation group to fully interrogate this idea and equip the members of your team (Board and Staff alike) to mainstream this work in all Alliance for Health Equity grantmaking and community partnerships.

We propose starting with the below assessment questions in order to tailor the session content and for your own reflection at the onset of this co-creation process. The below questionnaire is separate from your registration form and is conducted anonymously so you may answer candidly. Thank you for taking the time to complete the below questions.