Philanthropies — be it private foundations, corporate and family funders, LLC’s, or other vehicles for giving — often struggle with the same set of fundamental questions: Are we best leveraging our resources and capabilities to not only fulfill our mission but also bring transformational change to the people and communities who need it most? What kinds of decision-making frameworks could help us have that greater purpose and impact? And how do we make these decisions as quickly and efficiently as possible?
Aligning Your Philanthropic Operating Model with Your Goals
A framework to help funders understand who they are and what kind of impact they aspire to have.
January 13, 2023
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Summary.
Philanthropies — be it private foundations, corporate and family funders, LLC’s, or other vehicles for giving — often struggle with the same set of fundamental questions around how to best leverage resources for greater impact. Operating Archetypes, developed by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors along with members of the Theory of the Foundation Learning Collaborative, aims to be a new framework for helping funders understand both who they are and what kind of impact they aspire to have. Each of the eight archetypes is based on a series of core attributes — such as value proposition, capabilities, equity, and audience. Different archetypes may need very different skills, capabilities, and activities. Using this framework, funders can analyze and reflect on how to align their resources and their decision making to create more effective and equitable philanthropy.