Tips and Answers to Your Questions
Funding the Strategic Restructuring Process

Reflections from a Funder

Throughout the Strategic Solutions project, we have interviewed nonprofit leaders, funders, and consultants about their perspective on the role of the funder in strategic restructuring. In September 2003, we were invited to present our findings to the program staff of a large California foundation. During our presentation, we solicited this group for their opinions and experiences. We asked them what they thought their role in strategic restructuring should be, what was most effective, what they should have done differently, and what tools they found most helpful in supporting their grantees' efforts. Following are their responses.

What should your role be?

• Convening the first meeting of nonprofits, and then letting the organizations take over
• Helping nonprofits identify common goals
• Providing funding for technical assistance
• Offering a third-party perspective
• Funding a common/joint project as an “ice breaker”

What was most effective?

• At the beginning, acting as a mediator
• Providing resources for a consultant
• Providing multi-year funding
• Listening and learning about the experiences of others

What tools were most helpful?

• The convenings and facilitated meetings we funded helped grantees understand their common and/or overlapping goals
• The partnering organizations benefited from having a neutral third party (a consultant or meeting facilitator)
• They had a retreat where leaders could create personal ties across organizations

What could you have done differently?

• Should have mapped the field to know more about who was doing what
• Should have offered a “carrot” very carefully
• Should have found ways to reward collaboration
• Should not ever force it
• Should be very clear about our intentions