Fluxx Blog

We’re thrilled to announce that Fluxx is ranked fifth on Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2019, in the data science category!

The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in today’s volatile world. This is our second year taking home a Fast Company award. Last year we ranked in the nonprofit category for our innovative approach to redesigning the grantseekeing process with Fluxx Grantseeker.

2018 was a landmark year for Fluxx. We’re pleased to announce that over the previous 12 months, we increased the number of grants funded on our platform by 124 percent, facilitated $7.2 billion in total funding, and partnered with 52 new foundation clients for grants management, including leaders such as Forefront, The G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, Jewish Voice Ministries International, and many more.

Philanthropy is a cooperative market. Its constituents work to unite funds and policies in order to meet common economic, social, and cultural needs in our ever-changing social sector. If armed with an equal voice, both the givers and doers can inform the collective and create the most sustainable and impactful solutions to solve human problems.

Charity Navigator ranks nonprofits based on their overhead ratio (as in the amount of money spent on operations versus the mission), but as a recent study from North Carolina State University shows, a low overhead ratio is not always an effective way to measure a nonprofit's efficiency. Accordingly, funders, volunteers, and the general public often have the pervasive idea that all of a nonprofits funds should flow directly to the cause. This can lead to the dreaded Starvation Cycle: A state in which a nonprofit consistently keeps overhead costs so low that it impedes their current and future impact potential.

We know vital missions require the best tools. We also know that measuring and sharing impact can be challenging, yet it’s the most important barometer that foundations and nonprofits have for their work. Impact is why we launched the Fluxx Grantseeker platform back in 2017. We believe that nonprofits should have access to the same quality platform as foundations, so they too can streamline operations, truly “see” their data, lessen administrative burden, deepen connections and increase impact.

There’s no denying that the digital era has dramatically changed giving. It’s never been easier for individuals to donate (now at the click of a button), crowdfund for a good cause, and even contribute a dollar or two on their way through a grocery store checkout. And while it’s critical that your charity is set up to make giving easy, that doesn’t solve for the most nagging problem nonprofits face: discoverability.

This blog is part one of a four-part series that describes how we see the philanthropic industry evolving into a more connected and effective ecosystem – and how Fluxx is supporting and encouraging that evolution with our platform for democratizing philanthropy.

The year is officially coming to a close. To commemorate 2018, we wanted to aggregate some of our top blog posts! These pieces sparked conversations, shone a light on impactful work from our clients, and discussed the key trends and technology that stand to shape philanthropy in the coming years.

Nonprofits (along with the foundations that fund them) make up a significant portion of the U.S. economy. In fact, in 2014, nonprofits contributed $937.7 billion to the U.S. economy, the equivalent of 5.4 percent of our nation’s GDP. Yet some foundations and nonprofits still face pushback when looking to invest in operations to provide their essential services.

But like any for-profit organization, foundations and nonprofits will greatly benefit from developing the right technology plan in order to forecast for the new year. The same mechanisms that significantly improve the efficiency and mobility of for-profit giants are just as important for a foundation looking to better measure impact, streamline grants processes, and efficiently communicate with stakeholders. The right technology provides operational improvements that enables your team to elevate their grantmaking – freeing up time to further develop grantee relationships. 

So looking ahead into the new year, how is your 2019 technology plan coming along? If sitting down to assess your current strategy and plan for the future sounds daunting, then our technology guide can help. After all, having a plan is the best way to demonstrate why an investment in the right technology (that aligns with your foundation’s mission) is critical.

The Foundation’s Guide to a Must Have Technology Plan was designed to help you develop an ideal strategic technology plan for your foundation. Read this guide to learn:

• How to define a technology strategy that is suitable for your organization

• How to choose the right technology

• How to train and implement your strategy

• Examples from other foundations who have implemented robust technology strategies

We know December is a busy month for foundations, but it’s also a perfect time to reflect on organizational successes and potential inefficiencies. Let us help you prepare for the future.

Download our guide today.

Program-related investments (PRIs) are THE hot topic right now. Foundations from coast to coast are deploying PRI programs – enabling their teams to expand beyond traditional grantmaking, and ultimately empowering nonprofits and for-profits to work with these foundations in new ways.