Geneva School of Economics and Management Geneva School of Economics and Management

This module invites participants to investigate the diversity of grant-making foundations (family-led foundations, institutional foundations, corporate giving programmes, regranting entities, umbrella foundations, etc.). It will showcase how to translate motivations and societal aspirations into coherent philanthropic initiatives and question what may limit a foundation’s latitude to operate strategically. It will further explore different approaches to creating value and review recent trends and developments in the practice of philanthropy, such as investing in organisational development, adopting grantee-led approaches, working through funders' collaboratives, and the need for evidence-based interventions.

According to the purpose of the philanthropic organisation and the country in which it is based, legal possibilities for structure and tax aspects can vary. This module considers available Swiss, European and international  philanthropic legal structures, and will focus on those structures available under Swiss law. These range from traditional single purpose forms (foundations and associations) to hybrid (profit/non-profit) models. Innovative solutions to advance philanthropy, such as public-private partnerships (PPPs) and impact bonds will also be presented. Tax, governance and financial-related restrictions and/or requirements are also addressed. Finally, the module also covers the Swiss Data Protection Act and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

A rigorous selection of projects in line with the vision and strategy of the organisation is the best way to ensure efficiency and to maintain donors’ trust. This module therefore looks at a strategic and structured assessment of benefits, risks, collateral efforts and key success factors of each project. We examine how to manage philanthropic projects effectively in terms of resource allocations, coordination, impact and relationship with the donors. It will include best practices in working with grantees, the expectations of grant-givers and how they select the projects to be supported. The module also proposes a win-win model of how to negotiate successfully, within a project, with multiple stakeholders, or elsewhere.

How can philanthropic foundations and investors know if they are both having the impact they hope for and investing strategically? How can they collect evidence, learn and adapt, and communicate effectively about their impact
to others? Developing a strategy and understanding how to measure its effectiveness is a requirement in today’s philanthropic activity. In this highly practical module, participants will learn how organisations can evaluate their impact, learn from experience and use evidence and insights to inform their decisions. This module introduces participants to planning, learning and evaluation in philanthropic strategies and initiatives. Participants will learn about different evaluation approaches and how to select the most appropriate ones depending on the context, purposes, and available resources. They will also use planning tools and frameworks such as results frameworks, theory of  change and theory of philanthropy and will be introduced to the concept and tools of emergent learning. They will understand the importance of strategic learning and how it can increase the organisation’s effectiveness and  programme quality.