GEO Publications

All GEO-published publications are available for free download (free online registration is required). To request hard copies of GEO publications, contact zkeita@geofunders.org or call 202.898.1840. GEO members may order up to 10 copies without charge; additional copies (and copies for non-members) are $10 each.

2008

GEO Action Guide: Supporting Next-Generation Leadership
Published by GEO, March 2008
As founders move on, nonprofits, their funders and their stakeholders have become increasingly concerned about who will take the reins. This action guide explores the role grantmakers can take in attracting, developing and retaining the next generation of nonprofit leadership.

GEO Action Guide: Imagine, Involve, Implement
Published by GEO, January 2008, 51 pages
Real change is happening in philanthropy as pioneering grantmakers find new ways to break down the traditional barriers standing in the way of nonprofit success. This report on phase 2 of GEO's Change Agent project describes how a diverse assortment of grantmakers are changing core practices and approaches.

2007

GEO Action Guide: Learning for Results
Published by GEO, December 2007, 48 pages
Learn what it means to be a learning organization, including strategies to embed learning in your day-to-day grantmaking work. This document also helps you make the case for a stepped-up commitment to learning to your staff, board and grantees.

The Departing: Exiting Nonprofit Leaders as a Resource for Social Change

General Operating Support: A GEO Action Guide 
Published by GEO, 2007, 44 pages.
What is general operating support? How are grantmakers providing it? GEO's answer to these questions (and more) were inspired by a spirited conversation that took place in early 2007 on the GEO listserv.

In this document, we have included quotations from this discussion, as well as anecdotal information from participating grantmakers who shared their experiences and insights.





Power in Policy: A Funder's Guide to Advocacy and Civic Participation
edited by: David F. Arons
Co-published by GEO and the Fieldstone Alliance, 2007,  $41.95.
Power in Policy was written to influence the staff and leaders of foundations. But it's also a great tool for nonprofits that are trying to make the case for advocacy with their program officers. The contributing authors provide many examples and direct instruction on how to incorporate advocacy into philanthropy.






2006

LISTEN, LEARN, LEAD: Grantmaker Practices that Support Nonprofit Results 
Published by GEO, 2006, 21 pages.
This report on Phase 1 of GEO's Change Agent Project delves deeper into what is necessary to instill change in grantmaking practices to ensure nonprofit success.
This report tells the story of several grantmakers who faced with the same constraints as other grantmakers and have found ways to provide more effective support of nonprofits.

Investing in Leadership, Volume 2: Inspiration and Ideas from Philanthropy's Latest Frontier
by Kathleen P. Enright
Published by GEO, 2006, 54 pages.
Contains case studies about leadership development and the challenges of translating research and theory into practice. Also explores a sampling of the leadership development being utilized now in the nonprofit sector. The appendix highlights 40 grantmakers that already practice leadership development in various ways.

 

2005

2005 Member Survey
Published by GEO, 2005, 12 pages
GEO conducted its second member survey to build on its data on the capacity-building and organizational effectiveness efforts of its members. The results show both the diversity and likeness of the GEO community, as well as changes in members’ activities since GEO’s inaugural member survey in 2003.

 

Evaluation As A Pathway to Learning
by William H. Woodwell
published by GEO, 2005, 24 pages.
Informed by the work of the 2005 Evaluation Roundtable, examines current topics in philanthropic evaluation and showcases the evaluation approaches of several grantmakers, both large and small. Explores the link between evaluation and grantmaking and contains tips on how to incorporate a results orientatation into your organization's work without making a large investment.

 

A Funder's Guide to Evaluation: Leveraging Evaluation to Improve Nonprofit Effectiveness
by Peter York
Co-published by GEO and the Fieldstone Alliance, 2005, 160 pages, $41.95.
Traditionally, funders expect evaluation to show that resources are being used wisely. But evaluation can be a much more powerful tool — for both funders and nonprofits. Forward-looking grantmakers and grantees are ensuring that the time and money spent on evaluation improves effectiveness for everyone. 

 

A Funder's Guide to Organizational Assessment: Tools, Processes, and Their Use in Building Capacity
edited by Lori Bartczak
Co-published by GEO and the Fieldstone Alliance, 2005, 216 pages, $48.95.
An organizational assessment has the potential to launch a nonprofit down new paths that inspire more productivity and better mission delivery. Through this guide, readers will learn how different organizational capacity tools are developed, how they are used, and the lessons learned through the use of these tools by leading pracitioners in the field. A CD-ROM includes invaluable examples and adaptations of the tools as an added value to readers.

 

Investing in Leadership, Volume 1: A Grantmaker's Framework for Understanding Nonprofit Leadership Development
by Betsy Hubbard
Published by GEO, 2005, 36 pages.
Reviews current literature on the role of leadership development in philanthropy and serves grantmakers interested in leadership as an organizational development strategy. Offers a framework of ways in which grantmakers support nonprofit leadership development.

 

2004

Aligning for Results
Published by GEO, 2004, 22 pages.
This report on GEO's 2004 national conference explores one of the key challenges confronting the philanthropic community: the challenge of alignment. Celebrates the accomplishments of grantmaking organizations in understanding and applying what it takes to make alignment work and highlights the latest research on issues from funder networks to the effectiveness and practices of foundations.

 

The Due Diligence Tool: For Use in Pre-Grant Assessment
by Liza Culick, Kristen Godard and Natasha Terk, La Piana Associates
published by GEO, 2004, 64 pages.
Provides grantmakers with a complete guide to the due diligence process; includes worksheets and interview questions grantmakers can use to create or refine their own due diligence process.

 

Funding Effectiveness: Lessons in Building Nonprofit Capacity
by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
Published by Jossey-Bass, 2004, 150 pages, $30.00.
Written for leaders of both grantmaking and nonprofit organizations who are dedicated to improving the sector's effectiveness, this guide offers a compelling collection of essays from many of the most highly regarded practitioners in the field who share their lessons learned in the area of organizational effectiveness, with practical suggestions and action steps for implementation.

 

Leveraging What You Know: Knowledge Management Strategies for Funders
Published by GEO, 2004, 20 pages.
An overview of the knowledge management in philanthropy, with special attention to technology-supported taxonomies, organizational culture assessment and effective communication. Includes short case studies and lessons learned from grantmakers using knowledge management strategies in their own organizations. 

 

2003

2003 Member Survey
Published by GEO, 2003, 6 pages.
Conducted in May 2003 by LaFrance Associates, provides baseline data on the organizational effectiveness and capacity-building efforts of GEO members, including both grantmakers and infrastructure groups. Of the 747 members receiving the survey, 311 responded, a response rate of 41.6 percent. Results help GEO plan future programs and member services. 

 

Community Visions, Community Solutions: Grantmaking for Comprehensive Impact
by Joseph A. Connor and Stephanie Kadel-Taras
Co-published by GEO and the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 2003, 108 pages, $41.95.
Based on five years of research and hands-on experience, this book is filled with fresh ideas, concrete strategies, wisdom from the field and compelling case studies of community problem solving. To order, visit www.fieldstonealliance.org call 1-800-274-6024.

 

In Search of Strategic Solutions: A Funders Briefing on Nonprofit Strategic Restructuring
by David La Piana and Amelia Kohm
Published by GEO, 2003, 24 pages.
Drawing on five years of research, training and consulting  and a landmark national study, this report looks at the emerging phenomenon of nonprofit partnerships that allow organizations to share resources and expertise, closing with suggestions for funders. 

 

Strengthening Nonprofit Performance: A Funder's Guide to Capacity Building
by Paul Connolly and Carol Lukas
Co-published by GEO and the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 2003, 108 pages, $41.95.
Synthesizes capacity-building practice and research into a collection of strategies, steps and examples that funders can use to get started on or improve their funding to strengthen nonprofits. To order this book, visit www.fieldstonealliance.org or call 1-800-274-6024.

 

Tool for Assessing Startup Nonprofits: A due diligence supplement for grantmakers
by La Piana Associates, Inc.
Published by GEO, 2003, 36 pages.
This publication is designed for use by funders assessing a grant application from a startup nonprofit. The publication includes suggested interview questions and worksheets to supplement funders' regular due diligence of startup organizations.

 

2002

Capacity Building for Impact: The Future of Effectiveness for Nonprofits and Foundations
Published by GEO, 2002, 24 pages.
This report on GEO's 2002 national conference, held in partnership with the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers and Grantmakers Evaluation Network, includes session highlights, case study examples of capacity building in action and results from a poll of attendees that asked them to compare philanthropy's current reality to their desired future.