Our work in action:
Conducting Due Diligence on Nonprofits and Implementing Partners
One of the most significant barriers to international giving is ensuring that money is well spent.
Our industry-leading, proprietary due diligence ensures that our clients’ funds go only to the most qualified and carefully-vetted organizations. This process also results in clear and measurable project benchmarks to evaluate the progress of each grant.
For example, a client wanted to assess the effectiveness of an adoption organization before making a sizable grant. To do this, we assessed the market trends on intercountry adoptions that could affect the organization, audited the organization’s overall processes and practices, and conducted site visits to evaluate business practices and program quality.
By the end of this process, we gave the client a detailed assessment of where the organization could improve to increase the client’s ROI, which informed her giving strategy.
In addition to evaluating organizations before placing grants, we continue to monitor the financial status and social impact of each grant through project site visits and ongoing reporting. For multi-year programs, we employ an active portfolio approach—rebalancing grants among recipients—to increase program impact year over year.
Bringing Impact to Life through Customized Reporting
We work on behalf of our clients to translate the technical language of their grantees into compelling narratives and synthesized data that can bring quantified impact to life.
For many of our clients, we also manage the reporting project from concept to production—working with graphic designers, printers, and external reviewers.
For example, for a multi-million dollar fund established by a major US foundation, we create a customized, printed annual report that gives donors an update from year to year on how they are contributing to the eradication of a particular disease.
In addition to coordinating with our client on branding and review processes, we provide a deeply researched narrative, a detailed accounting of grants distributed, custom metrics that quantify funding impact, and snapshots of country-level activity to give donors a deeper understanding of exactly how their funding works on the ground.
Developing a Dashboard to Easily Understand Metrics of Success
A foundation approached us to develop a dashboard that would allow their board of trustees to quickly understand the scope—and progress—of multiple global initiatives. Their vision was a data-driven snapshot that succinctly presented complex human rights work in a meaningful way.
We assembled a project team with expertise in metrics, evaluation, and report design, and deep sector knowledge of the foundation’s area of concern. Together with our client, we identified the key indicators most relevant to their strategic objectives, and built a framework to aggregate data from the programs level up to the corporate level.
Our prototypes allowed the foundation to begin reporting on several items immediately and laid the groundwork for their own further development of key indicators.
Creating an Enriching Donor Travel Experience
A long-time corporate client asked us to plan a trip which would introduce their families to the firm’s philanthropic programs. After many field visits of their own with Geneva Global, the firm’s leadership wanted their spouses and partners to see the firm’s philanthropic impact and learn about the issues they’ve supported.
We brainstormed trip objectives with the client and planned a three-day trip to visit anti-human trafficking projects in Kathmandu, Nepal.
We delivered detailed written and in-person briefings for the guests and organized all the on-the-ground considerations, including site visits, accommodations and meals, transport, and sightseeing excursions to appreciate the local culture and history.
Accompanied by Geneva Global staff, the group met a variety of community and grassroots groups that help reduce the vulnerability of people in rural areas to exploitation and trafficking and provide support for trafficking survivors.
The participants left having greater understanding of anti-trafficking interventions, as well as a deeper fulfillment about their philanthropic work.