Minnesota Council on Foundations Non-member Interest and Needs Survey.DOC

Your feedback will help us ensure that the Minnesota Council on Foundations is being as effective as possible in meeting the needs of our region’s foundations and other grantmakers.. Has

Grantmaker Interests & Needs Survey

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey Your feedback will help us ensure that the

Minnesota Council on Foundations is being as effective as possible in meeting the needs of our region’s

foundations and other grantmakers You can also complete this survey online at

http://www.mcf.org/survey Please complete the 10-minute survey by April 25, 2007 All responses

are confidential

1 Have you ever heard of the Minnesota Council on Foundations, before today? (Select one):

 Yes

 No

If you answered No, please skip to Question 4

2 Has your organization ever been a member of the Minnesota Council on Foundations? (Select one)

 Current MCF member organization

 Former MCF member organization

 Our organization has never been an MCF member

If you answered “Current MCF member organization” you do not need to complete this survey, which

is intended for organizations that are not MCF members (MCF is conducting a separate survey for its members, which you can receive by contacting Bill King at 612.335.3557, bking@mcf.org.)

3 How well would you say you know the Minnesota Council on Foundations?

 Very well

 Somewhat well

 Not very well

Council on Foundations (D.C.)   

Current Member

Former Member

Used Services Grantmaker Affinity Groups (Grantmakers in the Arts,

National Center for Family Philanthropy   

Other current or former philanthropy/grantmaking organization memberships:

_

5 Below is a list of philanthropy consultants or organizations Please select those you have used for philanthropy information or advice:

 Accountant

 Community foundation

 Financial/investment advisor

 Foundation/donor services firm

 Minnesota Council on Foundations

 Lawyer

 Minister/Rabbi or other faith leader

 Philanthropy/grantmaking consultant

 Other professional advisor

 Others, please specify: _

6 Below is a list of statements that may or may not describe why your organization is not a member of the Minnesota Council on Foundations Please rate each statement on how well you agree or

disagree with that statement:

5 Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Neutral

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree

We prefer to get help, education, information

We are unaware of the services offered by MCF     

We have concerns about paying MCF’s

7 Below is a list of possible factors to consider when deciding to join a membership association like the Minnesota Council on Foundations Please indicate how important each factor is likely to be for your organization in making a decision to join a membership association:

5 Very Important

4 Important

3 Somewhat Important

2 Slightly Important

1 Not Important

Don’t Know

Ability to meet & network with other

Ability to share information with

other foundations & grantmakers      

The credibility of the association      

The credibility that the association

The number and/or type of programs

& services offered to members

Recommendation of a colleague or

friend

The value of the member services

we receive compared to the cost of

membership

8 The Minnesota Council on Foundations offers a wide range of member services to support, promote and protect philanthropy and to support the work of those who serve as trustees/directors or staff in philanthropic organizations Below is a list of some of the primary services that are available to MCF members As you read through each service, please indicate your level of possible interest in that service:

5 Very Interested

4 Intereste d

3 Somewhat Interested

2 Slightly Interested

1 Not Interested

Don’t Know Access to members-only area of MCF’s

website, which provides many practical

online resources to help grantmakers with

their work

Actively monitor & represent the field on

tax, legal & other legislative issues that

affect foundations & corporate/business

givers, & provide periodic member

updates & alerts on these issues

Annual conference that brings together

grantmakers from throughout the region

for skill-building sessions, issue briefings,

networking & expert speakers

Complimentary copies of MCF’s in-depth

Minnesota grantmaking research reports

& Guide to Minnesota Grantmakers

Complimentary copies of grantmaker

benchmarking surveys, such as annual

salary & benefits survey

Complimentary subscription to Minnesota

Grantmakers Online, MCF’s searchable

database of all Minnesota grantmakers &

all grants from the state’s largest funders

Discounts for MCF members on products

& services (conference calling, software,

publication subscriptions, etc.)

Education & skill-building programs &

trainings on various aspects of

grantmaking practice

5 Very Interested

4 Intereste d

3 Somewhat Interested

2 Slightly Interested

1 Not Interested

Don’t Know Fee-for-service (contract) training

designed for your board, staff or

committees

Informal briefings & discussions that

provide opportunities to explore new

issues & practices

Information & referral services to answer

questions about your grantmaking &

philanthropy work

Initiatives to advance & expand

philanthropy & increase awareness &

understanding of grantmaking &

philanthropy among nonprofits & the

broader community

Participation in MCF’s peer networks,

which provide in-person & online

opportunities to network with other

funders in the region who are interested in

similar funding issues or have similar job

responsibilities

Subscription to MCF’s biweekly member

e-newsletter, which provides the latest

news, resources & information on

grantmaking & philanthropy

Subscription to MCF’s quarterly Giving

Forum newspaper, which provides

in-depth coverage of regional issues & news

on grantmaking & philanthropy

9 After reading the above summary of the Minnesota Council on Foundations’ member services, which statement best describes how likely or unlikely you would be to recommend that your organization join MCF? (Select one):

 Very likely to recommend joining MCF

 Likely to recommend joining MCF

 Not sure if I’d recommend joining MCF

 Unlikely to recommend joining MCF

10.If MCF were to offer selected member services for a fee, please select any of the following services that you might be interested in purchasing, even if you chose not to join MCF:

Access to members-only area of MCF’s website, which provides many practical online resources to help grantmakers with their work

Education and skill-building programs and trainings on various aspects of grantmaking and

philanthropy practice

Education programs designed for specific types of grantmakers (family foundations, corporate grantmakers, etc.) to explore new issues, best practices, etc

Education programs on specific issue areas (arts, education, etc.) to explore new issues, best practices, etc

Education programs to hear from leading experts and thinkers in the field

Fee-for-service (contract) training designed for your board, staff or committees

Informal briefings and discussions that provide opportunities to explore new issues and practices

Information and referral services to answer questions about your grantmaking and philanthropy work

Participation in MCF’s peer networks, which provide in-person and online opportunities to network with other funders in the region who are interested in similar funding issues or have similar job responsibilities

Subscription to MCF’s biweekly member e-newsletter, which provides the latest news, resources and information on grantmaking and philanthropy

11 If you believe the Council is a valuable resource for the grantmaking field but are not interested in joining, would you consider providing some level of financial support, such as a grant or sponsorship,

to help support the Council’s work?

 Yes, a general support grant

 Yes, a project grant for a specific MCF program or activity

 Yes, a sponsorship of a specific MCF program or activity

 Maybe

 No

 Don’t know

Tell Us a Little About Yourself

13.Which best describes your position in your grantmaking organization? (Select one):

 Trustee/board member

 Both trustee/board member and paid staff member

 Paid staff member – President/CEO/executive director

 Paid staff member – Administrative support

 Paid staff member – Finance/investment and/or human resources

 Paid staff member – Grants management

 Paid staff member – Program officer/grant review

 Paid staff member – Development/fundraising

 Paid staff member – Other

 Staff of outside advisory, consulting firm or trust dept whose client is MCF member organization

14.How long have you worked or served as a trustee/board member in philanthropy? (Select one)

 Less than 2 years

 2-5 years

 6-10 years

 More than 10 years

15.Which of the following best describes the staffing of your organization? (Select one):

 0 paid staff members; a trustee-managed organization with no additional staff

 1-2 paid staff members

 3-5 paid staff members

 6-10 paid staff members

 11-15 paid staff members

 16-20 paid staff members

 More than 20 paid staff members

 We use an outside advisory firm, trust department or consultant for all of our staffing support

16.Please share any additional comments or questions you may have about the Minnesota Council on

If you answered Yes, or if you are interested in providing financial support to the Council other than through membership dues, please provide your contact information below (or e-mail your contact information and interests directly to Bill King at bking@mcf.org):

Name:

Title:

Organization: _

Address: _

Phone:

E-mail:

Preferred form of contact:

 Phone

 E-mail

 Mail

 No preference

Please return this completed survey by April 25, 2007 to: Bill King, President, Minnesota Council on

Foundations, 100 Portland Avenue S., Suite 225, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2575; fax: 612.337.5089 If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Bill at 612.335.3557 or bking@mcf.org

Thank you for your participation!