Research Is Vital to Watchdog Group’s Advocacy Role, Director Says

As a college student working at a small library in Dallas, Pa., Jeff Krehely, director of research at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, developed a keen appreciation for what he calls the nonprofit way of doing things.

“At the library, people from the wealthiest to the poorest part of town came together, used the same resources, chatted about things important to the community. It was a touching thing to see, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Finding ways to make sure needy people have access to the same resources as the wealthy has long been a key part of the mission of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, which was founded in 1976. The Washington group seeks to hold foundations and other donors accountable to the public, and has served as a watchdog to ensure that philanthropic funds are equitably distributed to minorities, the poor, and other disenfranchised groups.

In recent months, the committee has agitated against the repeal of the estate tax, saying it would damage charitable giving and provide an unfair tax advantage to the wealthy. It issued a statement of concern about the potentially damaging effects the war on Iraq could have on nonprofit groups, especially as government spending on defense makes it harder for the federal government to subsidize social-welfare programs. And last week the group chided the Senate for passing the Charity Aid, Recovery, and Empowerment Act, a package of tax breaks designed to encourage donors and foundations to give more, saying that Congress could do more for the neediest in society and the charities that serve them by overhauling the payroll tax to help middle- and low-income Americans.

Mr. Krehely, 26, began his involvement with charities as a youngster, volunteering at a nursing home, organizing food drives, and working on highway-beautification projects. He says that he is now especially proud to be a part of an organization like NCRP that strongly supports the advocacy role of nonprofit groups. As a gay man, in particular, Mr. Krehely says, he has always appreciated the role that nonprofit groups have played in fighting for progressive changes in society. “Even as a young kid in the closet, you heard about these nonprofit organizations and service providers fighting for gay and lesbian rights, and you were thankful such wonderful resources existed.”

Before coming to NCRP, Mr. Krehely worked as a research associate at the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy from 2000 to 2002, and later as special assistant to John R. Healy, president of the Atlantic Philanthropies, the large, rather secretive international foundation supported by the entrepreneur Charles Feeney.

Among the projects he will oversee: an assessment of how foundations can provide additional operating support to charities, an examination of conservative foundations, and an effort to define and document what the group calls “social-justice philanthropy.”

Mr. Krehely says the research the committee produces gives its advocacy credibility, while its advocacy gives its research conclusions some legs.

“At NCRP we’re doing research for a reason,” he says. “It’s not just an academic exercise, because our research is focused on genuine, current policy challenges. It has a real applicability that makes it much more intense, exciting, and motivating.”

Over all, Mr. Krehely notes, “we want to be seen less as a critic that’s saying what’s wrong with philanthropy and instead work toward bringing best practices to light.”

In an interview, Mr. Krehely discussed his new role:

What are the internal challenges affecting charities today?

One of the broader initiatives we’re trying to get off the ground has to do with accountability. We’re hoping to find some best-practice models for foundations that are accountable to their grantees, the constituents of the grantees, and the general public as well. We want to bring stakeholders to the table, including foundations, grantees, policy makers, and academics, in order to help philanthropy better meet the needs of disadvantaged Americans. To become more responsive to grantees and the public, there probably needs to be a more transparent grant-making process, and an opening up of boards to include members from local communities and nonprofit organizations. Right now there’s a very big tilt toward having board members who are businesspeople, attorneys, and academics — people who can serve well in many ways, but who are not on the front lines and who lack that perspective.

Another advocacy area for NCRP has to do with increasing operating-support money, money to keep the lights on, money that doesn’t have a deliverable attached to it but allows grantees to be more responsive to their communities. It’s hard, because these needs don’t always fit nicely within the request for proposal guidelines. But core operating support allows you to think more creatively, be more nimble and pragmatic in your programs. We have no specifically funded projects in this area yet, but pretty soon we will.

Is there enough money for high-quality nonprofit research?

Interestingly, my old employer, Atlantic Philanthropies, has been a huge funder of nonprofit research, but has recently announced that program is ending. Their departure leaves a huge void. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation also recently got rid of their program. This gives a new responsibility for nonprofit researchers and infrastructure groups to make the case for the relevance of research. We’ll have to find some new, interested funders and convince them why this is important.

How could your organization’s research have more impact?

It’s definitely a question we’re working on. We’re a very small operation, 10 people or so. We’ve just added a second person to our communications department, so our internal capacities for dissemination and communication are increasing. It’s important for us to think about all the different tools we have — the media, our Web site, and so on — in a strategic manner. But also, we are hoping to step up our schedule of presentations at conferences. In my days at the Urban Institute, I really saw the importance of getting out there among practitioner communities, getting outside reactions and feedback. If you only sit in your office and work on your project, you really limit yourself and your relevance.

ABOUT JEFF KREHELY, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIVE PHILANTHROPY

Education: Earned a bachelor’s degree in English and economics at King’s College, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and a master’s degree in nonprofit studies from Georgetown University. He was a graduate research fellow in 1999-2000 at Georgetown’s Center for the Study of Voluntary Organizations and Service.

Previous employment: Research associate at the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy; special assistant to the president of the Atlantic Philanthropies.

Books he’s currently reading: Martin Sloane, by Michael Redhill; Skipping Towards Gomorrah, by Dan Savage; and What Do We Know, a collection of poetry by Mary Oliver.