One of MCF’s Principles for Grantmakers is to be transparent in communications with the public, applicants, grantees and donors. Many foundations are now using video and social media to do just that. Naomi Pesky, director of marketing and communications at Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, shares here a recent example she’s been working on.
When planning the launch of Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, we knew creating a video about our grantmaking work was an important component. As we unveiled a new name for our network of 1,600 funds, foundations and organizations, we wanted to reassure nonprofits that the grantmaking for three of our anchor foundations, The Saint Paul Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation, remained the same.
Video is also a great way to make our grantmaking processes more transparent. We hope that an insider peek into our practices will help nonprofits be more informed when working with us, which would then result in more powerful collaborations. Our program team wants to work closely with nonprofits. We welcome conversations with organizations to learn about their work and understand if their programs and objectives fit with our funding priorities and commitments.
Ultimately, this new grantmaking video, along with other communication efforts like our Nonprofits to KnowTM video series and MNSights magazine, is intended to help strengthen philanthropy in Minnesota. We hope the outcome of the new video is that more great programs find our foundations and that our community is the better for it. Have a look and let us know what you think!
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