Effective Foundation Boards

Build your foundation to last.

Foundations have never been more essential to the viability and vitality of their related institutions. Traditional funding is waning. Enrollment is uncertain. Unexpected expenses are crushing budgets. Meanwhile, “ordinary” operating costs keep rising. Institutions need new revenue streams and new thinking—exactly where foundations can excel and lead.

Recommended resources.

AGB Trusteeship Magazine November/December 2021 with cover article
The Five Characteristics of Great Foundation Board Members

Trusteeship Magazine article from November/December 2021
by Leonard Raley

AGB book
Endowment Management for Higher Education, Second Edition

2022
Nicole Wellmann Kraus with Valentina Glaviano and Jay A. Yoder

The Essential Partnership between Foundations and Institutions

Podcast
with Joyce McConnell, Terri Beirne, and George Watt

AGB Trusteeship Magazine January/February 2022 with cover article
Foundations of Consequence: Advancing Collaboration Between a Community College and its Foundation

Trusteeship magazine article from January/February 2022
by Katherine S. Sawyer

Fundraising Campaigns in Higher Education, Part I

Podcast
with John Lippincott, Charlie Phlegar, and Sergio Gonzalez

Questions for boards.

Click below to reveal key questions for your board to consider.

Practices and Policies

  1. How is your board building organizational capacity? 
  2. What measures are you taking to improve fiduciary practices? 
  3. How can you enhance fundraising capacity and ROI? 
  4. How are you developing, implementing, and managing operating agreements?
  5. What is your strategy for bonds and other funding mechanisms? 

Strategy and Decision Making

  1. Is your team embodying your defined mission and strategy?
  2. How are you envisioning and implementing long-term strategic plans?
  3. What steps can be taken to enhance the alignment of your foundation with your institution?
  4. How do you approach trust and investment management?
  5. What challenges and opportunities do you face related to real estate?

Hear what it's like to work with AGB experts.

Jim Clements
President
Clemson University

AGB guides foundations to long-term sustainability.

Macro forces were already disrupting the normal course of business, including funding and philanthropy, before COVID-19 struck. Early challenges are now amplified but also have opened significant opportunities.

AGB experts will build a plan customized to help your board:

Diversity

Ensure Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Prevail

individual giving icon

Adapt to a New Fundraising Environment

Board Assessment

Expand the Donor Base

Mergers and Affiliations Strategy and Transformation

Serve as Strategic Partners of the Institution

Idea

Facilitate Transformation and Innovation

AGB Governance Briefings: Institutionally Related Foundations

Operate More Efficiently and Effectively

Elevate your foundation's performance.

AGB helps foundation boards navigate crises and respond to challenges by transforming disruption into opportunities to innovate. Our team of experts will partner with you to help you become a high-performing board and foundation—by cultivating stronger working relationships, building mutual trust, and elevating your foundation’s performance.

Contact AGB.

To learn how AGB Consulting’s services can benefit your institution, please contact 202-776-0865 or consulting@AGB.org. Or use this contact form: