Staffing the Foundation (Foundation Building Best Practice Study Excerpt)

This section examines how a professional staff is hired and developed so that they can effectively carry out the foundation's programmatic and administrative responsibilities. In the first case, the role of the Executive Director is examined. The second example explores the well-developed personnel systems of the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE).

Example 1: The Role of an Executive Director
Esquel Ecuador Foundation
Example 2: Personnel Systems
Foundation for the Philippine Environment

Are Professional Staff Necessary?

Summary Points

A founder who wants to play the role, has proven capable and has gained the trust of the Board could be effective in an executive staff position. In the case of the Esquel Ecuador Foundation (FEE), the Board chose to appoint the leader of the core group of founders of the foundation as executive director. His commitment, energy and vision was demonstrated in his work prior to and during the formation of FEE. They did not see the need to search for an executive director who was not already familiar with FEE's vision.
A well-developed personnel system can ease the staff recruiting process over the long run. Detailed job descriptions used by FPE help to clearly define the role of each staff member and their responsibilities. This facilitates the process of replacing departing staff.
Staff development plans can help to enhance the skill of staff in areas where existing expertise cannot be identified and can help to keep up staff morale. A staff development system like FPE's allows staff members to acquire new skills in areas where there is a shortage of expertise or to refine existing knowledge. This can help in empowering staff members and enable them to grow professionally within FPE so the staff turnover rate is lower.
A staff evaluation system can help to improve relations between supervisors and staff. FPE's staff evaluation system constantly allows staff to reflect on their performance and relations with peers, supervisors and subordinates to improve working conditions and staff morale.

It is possible for donors to make grants without investing resources in recruiting and training professional staff. They can hire part-time consultants and/or rely on volunteer support. One argument for this approach is that it may reduce administrative expenses.

The foundations we examine in this section have chosen, however, to recruit and train a professional staff because they believe that by doing so they can better manage resources and scale up their impact. These foundations believe the benefit in terms of their ability to identify and support strong programs and have an impact over time outweigh possible savings in administrative expenses.

What Staff Does a Foundation Need?

In many organizations, the Board, often working with a lead staff member, decides what staff the foundation will need. After the head of the foundation has been retained, many boards turn over the staff recruitment to that person. Although they remain involved in broader staffing issues (policies and the growth of the organization), they seldom take a role in the recruitment process. Specific roles and titles of staff members vary significantly; however, the foundations in this chapter have all filled the following positions:

Head of the foundation: many foundations focus the leadership role in a single individual but this role may be shared between two individuals. The three foundations in this chapter all employ an "executive director."
Program staff: depending on the grantmaking strategy of a foundation, program staff will bring a variety of skills including familiarity with the geographical areas where the foundation works and professional knowledge of the thematic areas of concern to the foundation.
Financial staff: often includes an accountant
Communications staff: sometimes combined with a fund-raising person
Fundraising staff: functions are sometimes shared with program staff
Administrative staff

Staff run the daily affairs of a foundation and ensure that the intentions of the Board are carried out. They also provide ongoing support to the Board and Board committees. Candidates for each position are selected based on the needs of the foundation.