Jan Jaffe worked at the Ford Foundation for thirty years in a variety of positions– in program-related investments, as its first learning director and as a senior director improving grant-making strategies internally and in the field. She created GrantCraft to help foundations exchange tools and skills for supporting social change.  She was on the faculty of The William Alanson White Institute’s Organization Program where she taught the course on role in organizational life. Jan’s consulting practice focuses on helping nonprofits and foundations improve their work through capacity building, strategy exploration, learning tools and coaching. She is a senior partner with The Giving Practice at Philanthropy Northwest.

Contributions

Philanthropy’s Reflective Practices

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Jan Jaffe

How do skilled philanthropy practitioners navigate challenging situations in their work to get to meaningful connections and good outcomes? Interviews with dozens of them reveal a common ingredient: they each use reflective practices to help them observe, make sense of and adjust their behaviors. This guide focuses on four of these practices. Review the Guide… Read More
Voices from the Field

Adaptive Leadership as a Reflective Practice

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Caroline Williamson, Jan Jaffe

I wanted to explore whether philanthropy practitioners have used adaptive leadership as a form of reflective practice. The B. Robert Williamson Jr. Foundation funds these programs and I wanted to learn how this foundation came to support a form of reflective practice as capacity building. That’s how I began my conversation with the foundation’s Executive Director, Caroline Williamson… Read More

2016 Trustee Education Institute: a Comprehensive Seminar for Family Foundation Trustees

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Virginia M. Esposito, Susan Crites Price, Andrew Schulz, Bruce Kahn, David Grant, David Dodson, David Neal, Alice Buhl, Jan Jaffe, Kelin E. Gersick, Ph.D.

NCFP’s Trustee Education Institute provides a comprehensive introduction to all of the key legal, investment, ethical, grantmaking, and family dynamics issues facing family foundation board members. Featuring a faculty made up of NCFP’s senior staff and highly respected philanthropy experts, this three day, intensive seminar will cover: What does it mean to be a steward of both the public’s trust… Read More

Leading by Design: a Special Retreat for Family Foundation CEOs

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Virginia M. Esposito, Gayle Williams, Jan Jaffe

The role of a family foundation CEO is unique, often bridging generations of family members, community leaders, staff, advisors and partners. Expectations can be challenging to meet and boundaries are sometimes vague and ever-changing. Success in this role requires a cadre of specialized leadership skills. This retreat will help you identify the roles essential to your position—and envision them with… Read More