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A Bad Taste in My Mouth: The 2007 Council on Foundations Annual Awards Gala

I enjoyed this year's Council on Foundations Annual Conference. It's a very professional event and they coax a solid level of preparation out of their workshop presenters. But I do have my criticisms and one of them relates to the messages that were sent in the Oscar-like Awards Gala on Monday night. In A Bad Taste in My Mouth, I explore my three concerns: the over-the-top tribute to profiteers, a bit of political hypocrisy, and the apparant notion that listening has nothing to do with communication. Posted: 5/2/07; 10:42:56 PM #

Barr Foundation Resources on Networks
	The Barr Foundation is one grantmaker that has invested seriously in understanding their relationship to the new world of networks. Of the publications listed on their resource page about networks, I recommend Weaving Tangled Webs and NET GAINS: A Handbook for Network Builders Seeking Social Change. Posted: 5/2/07; 3:59:25 PM #

Scanning and Networking

I'm a big fan of GrantCraft, and yet somehow one of their smaller publications escaped my attention. Roberto Cremonini, who presented on knowledge management at the Council on Foundations Conference, was one of the contributors to Grantcrafts supplement on Scanning and Networking. The focus of the piece is very much on grantmakers as learners, paying a special kind of attention to their networks in search of new ideas and fresh perspectives. Posted: 5/2/07; 3:48:50 PM #

ABC: An Introduction to KM

Because of its potential relationship to helping foundations appreciate the emerging role of networks, I paid a lot of attention to the knowledge management sessions at the Council on Foundations Conference. One resource that came to my attention was Meridith Levinson's recent article in CIO Magazine entitled ABC: An Introduction to KM. She touches on several important questions, including: How can I demonstrate the value of a KM initiative? Who should lead KM efforts? And what is social network analysis and how is it related to KM? Posted: 5/2/07; 2:31:37 PM #

Marketing Your Knowledge

A major emphasis of knowledge management in the field of philanthropy in the last few years has been on the dissemination of lessons learned by foundations. Although it may not leverage the power of networks, it's quite understandable, since grantmakers are by nature hubs of ideas, plans, and evaluations. While discussing this at the Council on Foundations Confererence, I was directed to this excellent report by the Williams Group entitled Marketing Your Knowledge (18 page PDF). Among other things, the report recommends the following ten practices: (1) solve problems or address needs faced by practitioners, (2) begin with user segmentation, (3) base efforts on market research, (4) tap peer-to-peer networks as distribution channels, (5) target opinion leaders, (6) start with small conversations and move outward, (7) create and capitalize on learning moments, (8) shape knowledge products using three techniques (clear messages, provocative arguments, and memorable stories), (9) deliver knowledge using short and simple formats, as well as “push” and “pull” methods, and (10) share knowledge using multiple means to build appetite and reinforce messages. Posted: 5/2/07; 2:14:54 PM #