Critical Team-Building Tools in Philanthropy

With only the organization's vision and mission as a guide and without a measurable bottom line, teams within foundations struggle to row in the same direction. Using the experience of one team in a large U.S.-based foundation over a four-year period, this article examines four essential tools for cultivating high-performing teams in the philanthropic sector. The tools discussed are giving and receiving feedback, the art of appreciations, organizing meetings to produce accountability, and assessing team communication styles, all applied with a racial equity lens. The tools are likely applicable in every sector, but when used by foundations where large-scale social issues are the crux of the work, the resulting high-performing teams may be better equipped to confront concerns vital to the philanthropic sector.