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Collaboration and Connection: How Foundations Partner Effectively to Address Their Community's Information Needs

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Addressing a community’s information needs is a critical aspect of supporting a vibrant and healthy democracy. As community and place-based foundations increase their participation in this work, they realize they cannot do it alone. Partnerships are vital to their success, whether they are developing online platforms for community dialogue, financing new online professional news outlets, or otherwise providing venues for community engagement about important issues affecting residents’ lives.

From Big Ideas to Big Change

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From Big Ideas to Big Change Cover
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Foundations are committing more resources than ever before to communicate about their work and missions -- yet grantees continue to give funders low marks when it comes to fostering a clear understanding of what the foundation is trying to accomplish and where they fit in. To address this gap, Spitfire Strategies developed From Big Ideas to Big Change. This report examines how foundations communicate about their change strategies and offers advice for effectively engaging foundation staff, grantees, and other audiences in communications efforts that succeed in turning a vision of change into reality.

Use the report and planning tool to:

  • Clarify how to consistently describe your foundation's change strategy to all important audiences.

  • Identify central concepts of your change strategy and determine the roles the foundation, grantees, and others will play in order to communicate effectively about them.

  • Track communications progress at multiple levels to get feedback and make adjustments that will lead to greater impact.

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