Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) "definition of organizational effectiveness is the ability of an organization to fulfill its mission by measurably achieving its objectives through a blend of sound management, strong governance and a persistent rededication to assessing and achieving results...

"Currently, GEO has more than 1700 individual members representing 350 grantmaking organizations...

"In 1997, representatives from The James Irvine Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation saw a need for a place where funders committed to improving organizational effectiveness could convene to share knowledge and practices and advance the discourse. To meet this need, the founders created Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.

"In 2001, GEO hired Kathleen Enright as its first executive director, and in 2002 GEO became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In 2002, The Grantmakers Evaluation Network merged with GEO. This blending has enriched the dialogue on effectiveness and enhanced the resources available to help grantmakers achieve measurable results."


 * Kathleen P. Enright - Executive Director

Directors
Accessed November 2008:


 * Beth Bruner (Chair) - Director of Effectiveness Initiatives, Bruner Foundation
 * Gregg Behr (Vice Chair) - Executive Director, The Grable Foundation
 * Valerie S. Lies (Treasurer/Secretary) - President & CEO, Donors Forum
 * Martha S. Campbell (Governance Committee Chair) - Vice President for Programs, The James Irvine Foundation
 * Roberto Cremonini - Chief Knowledge & Learning Officer, Barr Foundation
 * Cheryl L. Dorsey - President, Echoing Green
 * Carol Goss - President & CEO, The Skillman Foundation
 * Irene M. Ibarra - President and Chief Executive Officer, The Colorado Trust
 * Handy L. Lindsey, Jr. - President, The Cameron Foundation
 * Clara Miller - President & CEO, Nonprofit Finance Fund
 * Grant Oliphant - President and CEO, The Pittsburgh Foundation
 * Edward Pauly - Director of Evaluation, The Wallace Foundation
 * Gayle Williams - Executive Director, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation

Former Board Members
Accessed November 2008:


 * Jim Abernathy, formerly of Environmental Support Center
 * John Bare, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
 * Imani Constance Burnett, Southeastern Council of Foundations
 * James Canales, The James Irvine Foundation
 * MaryAnn Holohean, formerly of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
 * David Hunter, formerly of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
 * Barbara Kibbe, formerly of Skoll Foundation
 * Janine E. Lee, formerly of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
 * Dara Major, formerly of Surdna Foundation
 * Mike McCoy, Meadows Foundation
 * Ricardo Millett, formerly of the Woods Fund of Chicago
 * Jim Pitofsky, formerly of Social Enterprise Alliance
 * Thomas K. Reis, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
 * Annemarie Riemer, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
 * Paul Shoemaker, Social Venture Partners Seattle
 * Rob Stuart, Strategic Technology Initiatives
 * Melinda Tuan, formerly of The Roberts Enterprise Development Fund
 * Mary Walachy, The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation
 * Rick Williams, formerly of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation

Contact

 * Web: http://www.geofunders.org/home.aspx

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Needmor Fund