Looking for Mr. Goodword: Researching Foundations and Their Roles as Communicators

My main curiosity stems from experience with Houston-area foundations, which don’t generally place a priority on being proactive communicators. At least that’s my impression.

In April I will be combining a talk on foundation strategies with some general principles I have adopted for designing communications for nonprofits, which is our company’s (beloved) business niche.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has provided me a synopsis of their communication strategy. I will be happily sharing the headlines.

So…I began my work with a call this week to Matthew Barnes, grant officer at Houston Endowment. Matt shared his thoughts with me and then connected  me with Jane Lowe, at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Anyone who watches PBS or listens to NPR knows RWJF very well. They are huge underwriters of public radio and television. I am interested in knowing the strategy behind their sponsorship investments and then making similar connections with  leading foundations of like minds.

Jane sent me a write-up on the foundation’s strategy that I am reading tonight. My naive impression is that RWJF has two public faces. One is expected face of a philanthropic foundation: They award grants to deserving organizations and initiatives. The other face is more akin to typical nonprofit organizations. By this I mean that they plan and conduct activities on their own, apart from their grantees -- but always in support of their overarching mission to improve the health and healthcare of Americans.

Once I have read my material and spoken with them, I’ll know more and can share it here.

For now, I am reminded of the words of a foundation executive who, in so many words, told me that his foundation didn’t need to invest in any marketing communications, because “We’re not selling anything.”