Here’s what our partners around the country are saying:
“We consider Jeff to be a valued partner. The evaluation project he completed for the Deaconess Foundation shifted our thinking in several important ways and ultimately set us on a path that led to the creation of a new strategic plan. Our opportunities for impact have been amplified through our work with Jeff. Beyond that discrete project, we continue to learn from and through Jeff as he excels as a connector.”
Lissy Rand, Vice President, Grantmaking & Strategy
Deaconess Foundation
(Cleveland, OH)
“After a thorough RFP process in which we considered many consultants, the Healthy Lakewood Foundation selected Jeff Glebocki of Strategy + Action/Philanthropy and never looked back. He ably led us through all of the decisions we needed to make as a newly formed organization — from the highest-level considerations, such as whether our foundation will exist in perpetuity, to the 3- to 5-year decisions around grantmaking focus areas to brass tacks implementation planning. His expertise and facilitation were invaluable at every step of the way. He led a very inclusive process, making sure all board members’ voices were heard, and showed great flexibility in adapting his process throughout the engagement to meet our needs.”
Jeanine Gergel, President
Healthy Lakewood Foundation
(Lakewood, OH)
“Our Foundation wanted deep reflection and constructive feedback from stakeholders to drive our most recent strategic planning process. We greatly valued the third-party planning and facilitation that Strategy + Action provided us. Jeff and his team researched, conducted interviews, and compiled survey data thoroughly and with integrity. The result was a detailed report encapsulating where we’ve been, opportunities for improvement, and recommendations for a thoughtful approach that incorporated thinking, continuous learning, and taking targeted action to improve.”
Dr. Daniel Keenan, Jr., Executive Director
Martha Holden Jennings Foundation
(Cleveland, OH)
“Jeff Glebocki was instrumental in helping our family foundation during a transitional period. He created a bridge between the vision and legacy of our founders (now deceased), the second generation, and the third generation, which now represents the majority of the board. Jeff is attentive, an incredible listener, and offers a wealth of knowledge and perspective. Because of our work with Jeff, we now have a road map for how this younger, third generation can lead the foundation, continuing to build on the good work of its founders in a meaningful and relevant way.”
Board and Planning Committee Member
Family Foundation
“As we entered our 95th year of service and began charting our future strategy and innovative visioning, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona enlisted the help of Jeff and Evan from Strategy + Action/Philanthropy and David Moore, Moore Strategic Consulting. Through their wise counsel and expert facilitation, we’re well on our way to completion of the Strategic Plan that will strengthen our impact, and lead us past the century mark and beyond.”
Tony Penn, President and CEO, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona
(Tucson, AZ)
“Our Foundation is anticipating a ramping-up of assets. Jeff Glebocki did an excellent job guiding us in what this means for our grantmaking, governance and management going forward. We’ve now established our next steps and committed to a thoughtful growth plan which will increase our impact.”
Thomas E. Donley, Esq., Chair
The Donley Foundation
(Ardmore, PA)
“Jeff’s wisdom, experience, and ability to listen to us all, and bring us to consensus were great gifts to our family. We are at a critical juncture with the death of our founder and the gradual transition of leadership to our third generation. Jeff’s support and facilitation in our development of a succession plan was invaluable.”
Jane Leighty Justis, President
The Leighty Foundation
(Cascade, CO)
“We wanted to learn about the impact of our funding investments to help shape our decisions in going forward. The program evaluation and recommendations from Strategy + Action exceeded our expectations.”
Art Treuhaft, President
Treu-Mart Fund
(Cleveland, OH)
“Jeff Glebocki was thorough and insightful in helping me determine where to make state-wide potential funding investments. What’s more, he’s a joy to work with and has a refreshingly honest, straightforward approach.”
Senior Program Officer
National education funder
“The stakeholder analysis by Strategy + Action told us where the value of our program is and how we can build upon our strengths. We also learned where the gaps are in our efforts and how we can turn those into opportunities to better serve children, parents and educators.”
Natalie Celeste, Member
Cleveland Schools Book Fund Oversight Board
(Cleveland, OH)
“Jeff worked with our foundation board to guide a productive conversation on a set of challenging issues. We had decided to spend down the foundation and Jeff helped us reach consensus on how to do so. We worked with Jeff on two occasions; we should have had him meet the Board much sooner – perhaps for every meeting we ever had.”
Emily Sabah-Maren, Foundation Administrator
The Thomas H. Maren Foundation
(Gainesville, FL)
“Trio Foundation of St. Louis profited greatly from our work with Jeff. He is intuitive, informed, well prepared and extremely personable. Our board came away from our retreat with Jeff reenergized and feeling like we had accomplished a great deal! We will most likely continue our relationship and continue to work with Jeff in the future.”
Terri Mason, President
Trio Foundation of St. Louis
(St. Louis, MO)
“In the early stages of planning the Stranahan Foundation’s education initiative, Jeff offered just the right mix – content knowledge, the ability to connect us with key players in the field as well as thoughtful, skillful facilitation. Jeff played a critical role in moving us from a very conceptual 30,000 foot level to a much more defined and manageable set of goals and priorities.”
Pam Howell-Beach, CEO
The Stranahan Foundation
(Toledo, OH)
“(Strategy + Action) helped us get clear about our grantmaking strategies and practices. We looked at the questions of who we are and what we want to achieve, and they helped us translate those big picture questions into effective grantmaking practices.”
Barbara Ryan, Executive Vice President and COO
The Helios Education Foundation
(Phoenix, AZ & Tampa, FL)
“Jeff brings both solid experience and good instincts to his work – he asked perceptive questions, framed issues thoughtfully, and offered insights that informed and enriched our grant decision-making process.”
Vice President for Programs
Statewide education funder
“Our small family foundation has a clear understanding of its purpose but we needed some help to work through our internal process priorities. Jeff met with our very diverse group, effectively guided us through a lot of extraneous data and helped us come to agreement on a set of working priorities.”
Board President
Family foundation
“Our Foundation added two young family members last year that had no previous experience. Jeff Glebocki successfully guided us in our first meeting by helping us form our mission statement, grant making priorities and helping us plan our next steps. He was able to make all the board members feel eager to share their vision and passion. We covered a great deal of ground in a short time while also having fun and bonding more as a family and a charitable organization.”
Linda Spady, President
Winifred Stevens Foundation
(Phoenix, AZ)
“Jeff did an excellent job in preparing our family for its planning retreat last year. He talked with us beforehand to get a sense of what we wanted to accomplish and subsequently guided us through a very productive process. Because he skillfully encouraged us to address many of our Foundation’s most pertinent issues, it’s been easier for each of us to interact as board members and to personally assume greater responsibility for administrative and program requirements. Jeff has become a good friend as well as a helpful adviser.”
Hank Doll, President
Doll Family Foundation
(Shaker Heights, OH)
“Jeff understands the importance of building relationships and systems to achieve change – and how to do that.”
Lynne M. Borden, Ph.D., Professor and Head, Department of Family Social Science
College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN)
“I brought Jeff on to help with an evaluation project and he was a dream to work with—strategic, creative, and delivered what we agreed to on time and on budget. I’ve engaged him for the next phase of work and he was so helpful in putting together a scope of work that pushed our original thinking about the project and enabled us to improve. As a longtime foundation staffer and exec, he understands what grantmakers need, can work well with grantees and is fun to work with too. I couldn’t recommend him more and know he would be a great asset to any grantmaker!”
Joann Ricci, Vice President Organizational Effectiveness
Greater New Orleans Foundation
(New Orleans, LA)
“We found Jeff to be extremely helpful to us in working with our board and staff in shaping the vision and plans for the future endeavors of the foundation.”
Steve Mittenthal, Founding Executive Director
The Ellis Center for Educational Excellence
(Phoenix, AZ)
“At ten years of age, Quail Roost Foundation found itself in need of reviewing its mission and operations as we move forward. Earlier this year, Jeff Glebocki was able to assist us, in a retreat format, on the major items that needed attention. His facilitation skills were challenged as we are a diverse board from all parts of the country, and yet he was able to bring us to all agree on our next steps, even though some of them were very new to us. This gave the Quail Roost Foundation board the confidence to make some hard choices at a board meeting just last week. I would wholeheartedly endorse Jeff as a number one consultant to any foundation.”
Sandy White, Chairman
Quail Roost Foundation
(Taos, NM)
“Jeff has been a valuable thought partner in identifying opportunities and strategies for growth.”
Catherine Eden, Past Director
The Ramsey Executive Education Program, School of Public Affairs, College of Public Programs, Arizona State University
(Phoenix, AZ)
“I learned how to better navigate the ins-and-outs of strategic planning, and how to maneuver through the delicate dynamics present in the board room. Jeff also encouraged me to find my stance in leading our board to find a balance in maintaining our foundation’s independence while continuing to partner with much larger funders.”
Executive Director
Private Foundation
“I was fairly new in the role of board chair and found myself forging through the challenges of bridging our founders’ intents and leadership style with the enthusiasm, broad skill sets and expectations of the next generation. We kept bumping against issues like governance, communications, family factions, grantmaking protocols, etc. that caused stresses and frustration. Having Jeff as the outside coach helped me establish a plan of action. He was also my ‘911’ at times as some of these challenges arose.”
Board Chair
Family Foundation
