Am I Getting Better?

• You can judge (even if you can’t measure) whether you, and your grantees, are making progress toward your goals.
• You cast a wide net externally for information relevant to your fields of interest.
• Your grantees would say that as a donor you help them get better.
• You periodically seek feedback from your grantees about your own performance, including in ways that ensure their anonymity.
• You can name one (or more) grants that didn’t work out as hoped and have shared the lessons you learned with others.
• You’re in regular contact with at least a few people who challenge your thinking.
• Over time, your philanthropy generates real results on society’s behalf: the people and/or the issues that you and your grantees seek to serve are clearly better off.

What Am I Accountable For?

• You’ve been explicit with yourself and others about how much money, time, and influence you’re prepared to commit to a specific initiative.
• Impartial but knowledgeable observers would say that the resources you intend to contribute are proportional to your strategy and the success you aspire to achieve.
• You’ve explicitly considered and accepted the risks (strategic, secondary, and personal) associated with your strategy.
• You’ve been crystal clear about what you are not doing.
• Other people describe you as a donor who “walks the talk” and honors commitments: you hold yourself accountable.

What Are My Values and Beliefs?

• You’ve decided what portion of your philanthropy will focus explicitly on results.
• You’ve written down your values and beliefs.
• You’ve discussed your values and beliefs with your spouse, family, and, if appropriate, your foundation leadership.
• The people most relevant to your giving know what you do, and do not, care about.
• You have anchor points for your current philanthropic initiatives. 
• If you’ve been at this for a while, you’ve stepped back at least once to test how well your values are informing your philanthropic decisions.

What is "Success" and How Can It Be Achieved?

• Your definition of success is clear enough to allow you, and others, to judge progress against it.
• You can specify the key assumptions that underlie your theory of change.
• You’ve taken the time to learn what others know about the essential elements of your theory of change.
• Knowledgeable outsiders (including experts in your chosen field) think your theory of change is worth pursuing.
• All the decision makers involved in your philanthropy (including trustees and staff if relevant) understand and embrace your definition of success and theory of change.
• Your theory of change, not ad hoc interests or unsolicited requests, is driving funding decisions.
• If you’ve been pursuing your theory of change for several years, you’ve revisited your initial thinking at least once and asked what is, and is not, working as you expected.

How Do I Work With Grantees?

• You invest in due diligence to ensure that your selection process is as rigorous as the circumstances of the grant require.
• Organizations you turn down for funding would say they were treated fairly and with respect.
• You and your grantees have shared goals; if asked “What’s an ‘A’?” you would have similar answers.
• Your grantees would select you over other donors, all else being equal.
• Grantees trust you enough to come to you, unsolicited, with serious problems.
• Organizations you’ve ceased to fund would say you ended the relationship as thoughtfully as you began it.
• You have a reputation for following the Golden Rule in your philanthropy: you treat others as you yourself would want to be treated.

What Will It Take to Get the Job Done?

• You’re confident that you have the right people, in the right jobs, to pursue your strategy; if not, you’re actively addressing the problem.
• You and your trustees and staff usually agree on important decisions; when you disagree, a candid discussion ensues, and people come together around the ultimate decision.
• Trustees and staff understand their roles and decision-making responsibilities.
• Trustees enjoy coming to board meetings, because they know their contributions are substantive and valued.
• Your grantees would say that you are realistic about the resources they need to execute their strategies.
• Your own organization has the resources it requires to execute your strategy.
• If you have been at this for a while, you’ve periodically reassessed whether you and your grantees have the capacity required to get the job done.