Page 3 - 2022 Feb Report

T he December 2021 Grant Program Committee Meeting and the Convening that followed raised some interesting ideas. Among my favorites was the
thought of specifically targeting small startups for potential partnerships. Eye to Eye was referenced as a model success story of JSF’s potential in this space.
Startup organizations in any industry face enormous challenges. Think hatchling turtles crossing the beach to reach the ocean. Philanthropic organizations are no exception, but they do have an additional bogey. Unlike their private sector cousins, generating profit is often not their default priority. The lifeblood of business – money – is not what unites or drives them. But honorable as it may sound, a lack of financial literacy or priority can quickly derail an organization.
Philanthropic startups do share many of the challenges faced by startups in other industries. Most of them have very small staffs who often are underpaid. Human capital is low. A tremendously gifted staff of two is still a staff of two. It can be difficult to cover all the skill requirements needed to grow an organization with just a few people. They may be passionate and gifted at reaching people in their mission, but can they run an organization? Hire well? Market well? Raise capital? None of us is good at everything. Recognizing our weaknesses and resourcefully covering them is essential.
Let’s say the small startup survives the challenges of infancy and finds itself in the next stage of maturity. The hatchling turtle has reached the shoreline. The challenges of the hatch and the sand are now the challenges of the surf and the ocean. Perhaps you’ve heard of the story of the local mechanic? John was a gifted young mechanic. His small garage business grew exponentially. John hired three local mechanics to service his growing customer base so he could work from an office and plan for his company’s future. The business tanked in six months. Not one of the mechanics John hired was near as good as he was at turning wrenches, and John was a better mechanic than he was a company executive. Leadership challenges change as organizations mature. The evolving challenges of each phase must be appropriately addressed, or the organization stumbles.
Robert A. Krause
Understanding the challenges small organizations face on their road to maturity is important to helping recognize promising grantees. Organizations, like people, have personalities. There may not be a one size fits all formula for predicting success, but there are important themes, and our partnership with Eye to Eye illustrates many of them. David Flink was passionate about his work. He knew first-hand the population he would serve. He was educated and humble. JSF invested time – real time – through formidable conversations held in person (with Malcolm) to discuss the dream of Eye to Eye. Flink was candid and so was Malcolm. I wonder how the early narrative may have been different had the relationship been restricted to ZOOM calls.
These types of grant opportunities fit JSF well. We value risk and entrepreneurial themes. We look for niche opportunities that have been overlooked by other funders. We value engagement – from our Board, from our Staff and Consultants, and Grantees. Our book of grants has partners that cover the maturity spectrum – from young organizations to juggernauts in their fields. This diversification can provide networking opportunities and resources for our work. Let’s find some more Flinks.
Resilience
Looking For Flinks
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