5 lessons we can learn from successful early stage philanthropies
TRANSCRIPT
LESSONS WE CANLEARN FROM SUCCESSFULEARLY STAGE PHILANTHROPIES
JEFF GREENSTEIN
5 BROTHERS FOR LIFElike
Only some embryonic philanthropicorganizations have been successful at
driving change and making a significantimpact in the communities they serve
while effectively scaling their reach to abroader group within their target market.
What sets these organizations apart from the rest?
Organizations such as Brothers For Lifeare designed to operate much like a
successful start-up business.
Here are fiveimportant lessonsBrothers for Life
can teach us aboutsuccessful venture/
early-stagephilanthropies.
CLEAR MISSION AND FOCUS1Identifying a clear mission statementand encouraging all team members
to stay focused on fulfilling thatmission is the foundation of any
successful enterprise.
A mission statement adds clarity thatdefines future areas of expansion.
Brothers for Life launchedmany initiatives, but all the
while they are anchored by aclear mission - helping
recently disabled and injuredIsraeli combat soldiers
recover from their injuriesand live productive lives.
ENGAGEMENT ON BOTH SIDES2“There are three levels of giving thatprogressively get more difficult and
demanding but at the same time morevaluable and impactful: giving one’s
money; giving one’s time; giving one’shome and heart.”
- Rabbi Chaim Levine,Founder and Executive Director of Brothers For Life
It’s important to interact withthe communities involved,
beneficiaries and donors, andreally look into these people’s
eyes and learn about their story.
OPERATING SMARTLY AND PRUDENTLY3Many early stage
philanthropies operate withlimited resources in terms ofhuman resources and cash. Given these constraints it is
absolutely critical todetermine where those
resources are best allocated.
The individuals involved with managing theorganization’s financials need to be acting inthe best interest of the organization, settingrealistic budgets, and working to maximize
the budget at every opportunity.
Brothers For Life started ona shoe string where its
leadership carefullyevaluated how every dollarwas spent. This attention to
detail analyzed how eachdollar spent impacts the
organization’s objectives andlong term aspirations.
DEFINING AND MEASURING IMPACT4It can be difficult to
quantify the impact of anorganization’s efforts, so it
is up to the leadershipteam or committee
members to define exactlyhow they will measure the
effects of their efforts.
Success is often not a straight lineso it is valuable to measure what
works and what doesn't on aregular basis in order to make
appropriate adjustments.
It’s important to keep in mind that it’snot always about numbers.
While it is valuable to knowhow many families you fed
after a food drive, for example,there are other ways to
measure impact.
Genuinely understanding how therecipients are benefiting at a personal
level means far more than any statistic.
BUILD PARTNERS NOT DONORS5Donations and particularlyrecurring donations are the
lifeblood of most early stagephilanthropies.
It is important to turn donors intopartners by igniting their passion and
commitment to the cause.
Partners internalize the organization andfeel vested in its success. These feelings
lead to both larger and more regularcontributions to the organizations cause.
Donations, particularly recurringdonations, are the lifeblood of most
early stage philanthropies.
At Brothers for Life, however,partners do a lot more than simply
donating. They are dedicated tosupport and scale the organization
through various efforts such asnetworking. Not all organizations canaccomplish this structure but they all
should endeavor to.
Successful philanthropic organizationsare built with a strong structure and
foundation, operating much like asuccessful start-up business.