Frequently Asked Questions
How does my organization apply for a grant or support from GEO?
GEO is not a grantmaking foundation and does not accept applications for support. Rather, GEO is a membership organization serving grantmakers, helping them apply strategies and practices that contribute to grantee success.
My organization is a GEO member, but I don’t have or know my password to log in. What do I do?
You can register for a member account, update or retrieve your password here. Email or call Laurel Ahrnsbrak, GEO’s senior membership specialist, with any additional questions about member benefits:
202.898.5728
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How do I join the GEOList listserv?
You may post to GEOList, receive other members’ postings as well as access archived summaries of past postings. If you are a current GEO member and are not subscribed to the listserv, please email or call Laurel Ahrnsbrak, GEO’s senior membership specialist:
202.898.5728
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Who can join GEO?
To be eligible, you must:
- Represent a foundation, a corporate giving program, a government funder, a United Way, venture philanthropy or other grantmaking organization; or
- Represent an infrastructure group that serves grantmakers as its primary members; or
- Represent an academic program at an accredited university where philanthropy is the primary focus of your research or course work.
To learn more, email or call Laurel Ahrnsbrak, GEO’s senior membership specialist:
202.898.5728
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Why should my organization join GEO?
GEO is for grantmakers who believe they succeed only to the extent that their grantees achieve meaningful results. GEO promotes strategies and practices that contribute to grantee success. The benefits include:
- Full access to Online Resource Library: Download hundreds of resources on organizational effectiveness.
- Network with Peer Organizations: Reach out and connect with other GEO members who share your interests, work in your region or face common challenges.
- Free GEO Publications: Be the first to receive every GEO publication, and download free PDFs, and recieve discounts on bulk orders. Also receive discounts on GEO’s co-branded publications with Fieldstone Alliance and Jossey-Bass.
- Discounts and Priority Registration to GEO Conferences: Never miss our sellout biennial national conference and smaller topical conferences.
- Discounts from the Center for Effective Philanthropy: Avail 5% discount on the Grantee Perception Report and Comparative Board Report – typically a $500 to $1,500 value.
- Support Smart Grantmaking: Be part of improving our community’s approach to helping nonprofits achieve more.
To learn more, email or call Laurel Ahrnsbrak, GEO’s senior membership specialist:
202.898.5728
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Why should funders support GEO?
Supporting GEO is supporting a change in the way grantmakers operate to strengthen nonprofits and produce better results. GEO accomplishes this by providing how-to resources, conferences to bring peers together and a series of custom services tailored to the needs of grantmakers. All of GEO’s work is directed at the following areas of grantmaker practice: Learning for Improvement, Collaborative Problem-Solving, The Money, Stakeholder Engagement and Scaling What Works. An investment in GEO creates a positive ripple effect throughout the philanthropic sector and beyond by allowing the practices of innovators to be shared among our community.
To learn more about opportunities to support GEO, contact J McCray, GEO’s director of operations:
202.898.1823
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