During my time as the executive director of a nonprofit, site visits from grant makers often felt like an odd combination of kindergarten show and tell and staging a home to sell it.
These visits are a huge investment of time and energy, and I found that, too
often, the goal of building authentic relationships is forgotten. Plus, grant makers usually learn little that enriches their philanthropic work.
Before writing this article, I let my imagination wander a bit. I hope you’ll join my fantasy. In it, I have inherited significant wealth from a relative. The inheritance comes with a few stipulations: The money must go to nonprofits with missions that my family and I find important; there can be no restrictions placed on money when it is donated; and for gifts larger than a certain size, a site visit must be conducted at the midpoint of the grant period.
Goals for a Site Visit
As an imaginary donor, I would want to:
- Hear how the funding is being invested.
- Understand the strategy that led to the use of funds.
- Learn what’s working and lessons the organization is learning from my investment.
- Build an authentic relationship with the grantee, so I can undersand the pain points as I consider future gifts to this organization and others.
- Learn and grow as a person who cares about this cause and the community being served.
- Grow close to those doing the work.
- See that an organization is on a path toward thriving, that leadership is strong throughout the organization, and that the board understands its vital role in partnering with the staff.
Sample Site Visit Request
I believe an ideal site visit begins with a request from the donor to the executive director or CEO. Here’s a sample.
Dear Grantee,
As you know, we have reached the midpoint of our granting period, and I would like to visit your offices. I know how busy you are, so I am hoping this communication will help you minimize planning and maximize the time available to reflect on what you’re seeing and learning from our investment in your work. It will likely be useful for you to review your original grant application.
My goal is not to review data, although I may ask for some as a follow-up. My goal is to nurture our relationship as partners, each playing a vital role in the effort to do X on behalf of Y. To that end, I have attached a conversation guide so you and your team can begin to reflect on your work, challenges, and future opportunities.
I would appreciate your arranging for us to meet late in the day, so that I will have the chance to learn from your board. Please extend my thanks to your board chair and other members who will participate. I am a firm believer that a nonprofit thrives only when a board is well led and well managed.
I believe that an effective board is not measured by statistics but is curated with intention to ensure diverse voices, perspectives, and lived experience. A board designed with this level of intention is filled with passionate ambassadors and understands its role to partner with the staff.
I look forward to meeting with you from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on (insert date), and I look forward to your two board members joining us from 6 to 7 p.m.
Sample Conversation Guides
A successful site visit enables philanthropists to learn about the trends and issues facing the sector and to become smarter and more strategic in their giving. That is why these visits should not be dog-and-pony shows.
Here’s a guide to facilitate substantive discussions between executive directors and grant makers (grant makers should send this ahead of time so nonprofit leaders can prepare responses).
- Since the time when you submitted your application, what is new or different about life at X.org? What would be helpful for me to know?
- If you’ve had second thoughts about how you invested the money, I’d love to hear about that. Are you considering a change of course?
- What continues to fuel your appetite for this work?
- What issues keeping you up at night?
- If you were to apply for a general-operating grant of significant magnitude, how would you think about investing it?
- When thinking about the much-needed work of diversity, equity, and inclusion within this sector/program/initiative, what is most important to you?
You may consider sharing a similar guide with the board chair in advance. However, a weak board will turn to the executive director and staff to shore them up on these answers, and it may be better to hear the board members answer these questions extemporaneously.
Unlike the conversations with the executive director, this conversation should include a layer of accountability to ensure the chair is building a strong board with informed members who understand the importance of the work and can apply their skills, expertise, and lived experience to advance the organization.
It can be nearly impossible for a staff leader to introduce the level of accountability a board needs to perform well. As an external observer, a grant maker should ask challenging questions that drive boards to higher performance.
Far too many nonprofit leaders seek new jobs and even leave the nonprofit world because of boards that don’t understand their role and accept their work or because the chair doesn’t understand how to play the role of partner.
Questions for the Board Chair
- How long have you been board chair? When does your term expire?
- Tell me about the leadership pipeline.
- Do you have a board composition matrix that details recruiting priorities to fill key gaps? Tell me about those gaps.
- How do you characterize your relationship with the executive director?
- How are board meetings designed?
- It’s not easy to manage a group of volunteers. What’s your approach to holding volunteers accountable?
- I’d love to hear about the charge and goals of your committes.
- How would you characterize your board in terms of its ability to be passionate ambassadors who are inviting new folks?
- How do you handle performance reviews and succession planning?
- How is diversity, equity, and inclusion applied to the board? What are the specific goals and how do you measure success? What strategies do you employ to create a sense of belonging for all those on your board?
Additional Questions for Board Members
- How close is the board to the work?
- Do you feel you have been given sufficient training, tools, and stories to be an enthusiastic champion to invite folks in your network to get involved?
The board of directors and its relationship with the staff is an essential indicator of a thriving nonprofit. It seems overdue to incorporate board leadership into site visits to really understand this vital partnership.
