Toward a high-performance culture: From strategy to strategic human capital at the rhode island foundation

Abstract

The Rhode Island Foundation was part of the Talent Initiative pilot program, an organizational fellowship dedicated to building capacity in the nonprofit sector through strong humancapital management. The foundation had in place a strategic plan that called for a shift from responsive to proactive grantmaking, fundraising, and leadership. The Talent Initiative led to the creation of a strategic human-capital plan, which served as a companion blueprint to the foundation's strategic plan. The author concludes that the most significant challenge is to balance what is critical to preserve from the traditional community foundation model with what is essential to envision and build the community foundation of the future.