We Have a Real Chance to Influence Change Now

In philanthropy, as we look at our sphere of influence in society today it has a wide range of entry points. Foundations are called upon to make important and tactical decisions every day. These decisions often have influence on multiple people and organizations. A great many of these decisions are internal and are based on a program, process or an initiative or an intentional direction that a foundation is headed. Boards and staff decide on size and types of grants that are awarded, a process and decision around strategy, how much to invest in program evaluation, how much to invest in communications, etc.

The sphere of influence, referenced earlier, is changing for foundations and it should be. Philanthropy is a significant contributor to communities and to society as a whole and, therefore, has a major stake in how we effect community change. So do a lot of other entities such as government, business, schools, hospitals and various other organizations. If foundations are not looking for ways to influence thinking around issues that can impact their community, region and state, then they are missing an important dimension of their work and an opportunity to get to necessary change.

For example, if a decision is being made by a municipality that will move homeless people 10 miles out of town without adequate transportation and they become isolated, shouldn’t we speak up? It is our job to look at all the issues that affect society and, in particular, see how decisions are going to affect those indigent and low-income people. Alone, these members of society do not have the power or voice to influence the decision makers.

Furthermore, decision makers are often influenced by non objective outsiders that have a vested interest in the outcome of the decision, preventing this influence from being pure and unbiased. Foundations should be objective, and their resources and connections should position them to ask difficult questions and to demand “the little guy” gets his just due in the process.

Whether we are asking tough questions of government, business or other people of influence within our societal sphere, we must step forward and be willing to play a role. Philanthropy has a lot of responsibility and it wields a significant amount of power and influence. It is our responsibility to use that influence for the greater good and let our external opportunities be just as important as our internal decision making. Foundations can no longer live and work in isolation. What we do and what needs to be done reaches far beyond the walls of our office and local town or city. Now is the time for all foundations to step forward and advocate for their grantees, constituents and those in the greatest need. If we don’t aggressively move in this direction then shame on us when the outcome is not to our liking and negatively impacts our state.


Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina

Foundations Can’t Live in a Vacuum

Philanthropy is often perceived as the all knowing, all deciding sector that can really change the world through strategic decision making and private funding. Foundations have high expectations of grantees including measurable outcomes and the desire for a realistic sustainability plan. However, I am not sure foundations do a good enough job of really surveying the landscape and understanding the depth and breadth of the nonprofit community and, more specifically, the organizations they fund.

Do we really know what other funders are doing for an organization that we fund and do those funds compliment what we are funding or does it work in contrast to what we are funding? It is a deeper question than most foundations won’t necessarily want to tackle, but I believe it is an important one. As an investor in the nonprofit world, we must do everything within our power to protect our investment, clearly understand the pathology of the organization we are invested in and measure our success to insure our investment is providing the return that we expect and deserve.

Long gone are the days when foundations could put money out in the community with the hope that something good happened. With the tough economy and dwindling resources, we are forced to be more focused and intentional with our grants and decision making. This has never been more apparent to me than now as we work on the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina’s Strategic Plan for the future. It requires us to maximize and leverage our funds, have a knowledge based approach to decision making and information sharing and it requires us to do a smaller number of things well. It did not have to be that way ten years ago but it has to be that way today.

Part of the equation is to have our own plan and strategies in place to insure that we know where we are going, but we must also understand the plan and strategies of our nonprofit partners. Where are they going? Do they have the resources to get there? Do they have the infrastructure to take them there? Are we on the same page as other funders or are the investments totally different and possibly contributing to the nonprofit’s organizational schizophrenia?

Our recent hiring of a full time senior research and evaluation director should tell you a lot about where we are headed. Success and failure are measured all the time. It is measured in the classroom, board room, ball fields and in our own personal performance evaluations. We, as a Foundation, are going to measure it more and understand it better. But, we should not live in a vacuum. We must also understand our nonprofit partners and know where they are going and who is helping them get there. If not, we are merely exacerbating the problem and enabling organizational ambiguity. This is not the time for anyone to be doing that.


Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina