About Smart Growth
Women's funds often grapple with unique organizational development opportunities and challenges. To take the mystery out of planning, Women's Funding Network offers Smart Growth: A Life Stage Model for Social Change Philanthropy. The model provides a road map for organizational growth and effectiveness.
Watch an audiovisual presentation to learn more about Smart Growth
Is your fund:
- Exploring whether to hire an executive director?
- Embarking on a strategic planning process?
- Unsure of whether your board and staff have a shared understanding of your fund's vision?
- Wondering if you should start building an endowment?
- Curious if you have the right systems in place to work efficiently?
- Examining whether your grantmaking is really achieving social change?
If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, it's the right time to use Smart Growth. The model is based on six organizational life stages and 12 major organizational capacities, such as strategic planning, financial management, grantmaking, and resource development.
Smart Growth includes:
- A short quiz when beginning discussions about organizational development.
- Detailed assessment worksheets to determine the developmental or life stage of each of the 12 organizational capacities and the overall life stage of the organization.
- Problem solving exercises.
- Examples of benchmarks for organizational growth
- An extensive list of resources and tools to support the assessments and assist your organization in moving successfully from one stage to the next.
The model has been adapted for private women's foundations and women's funds within community foundations. Women's Funding Network partner members can apply to receive consulting support from a trained Smart Growth consultant.
Women's Funding Network Members can download Smart Growth by accessing the Knowledge Center.
Non members can order the tool for $50 online at:
Online Order Form - SmartGrowth
Online Order Form -Smart Growth Private Foundation
For more information about Smart Growth e-mail membership <at> womensfundingnetwork <dot> org or call (415) 441-0706 and ask to speak with one of our member services associates.
