Harder+Company works with foundations and other funders to learn about the reach and impact of their grantmaking. And we’re not the only ones interested in understanding how and why funders do their work. We recently helped Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) conduct its 2014 Field Survey to learn how changes in philanthropy can contribute to nonprofit success. Here are some of the things we learned:
- The level of general operating support that funders give out is on the rise after years of remaining flat.
- A majority of funders (53%) ask their grantees for feedback.
- Nonprofit and foundation leaders disagree about whether foundations are open to dialogue on key financial issues.
- Most funders (76%) evaluate their work.
- Collaboration among grantmakers is important, but grantee collaboration is underfunded.
This kind of information allows GEO and its members to reflect on how the field is doing as a whole – and where they can provide more leadership. We produced a technical report for GEO, which can be found here. And you can find GEO’s full report, with our findings and GEO’s further insights, on GEO’s website.