Let’s be honest: foundation presidents’ annual letters tend to be pro forma at best. But this month we found a lovely and rare exception, by F.B. Heron Foundation President Clara Miller. Hidden behind bland design and a boilerplate title, you’ll find a sharp indictment of typical foundation thinking and a bold prescription for “this messier, less compartmentalized, and more urgent world.”
Nearly 20 years ago, when Mario was a naive newbie in the world of philanthropy, he was invited to speak on a panel focused on nonprofit finance. One of the other panelists was Miller, who then led (and had founded) the outstanding Nonprofit Finance Fund. She impressed the hell out of Mario! To this day, both of us look up to Miller as one of the very best minds and bravest truth-tellers in the field.
