Benchmarking Our Grantmaking

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Foundation engaged the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) to benchmark our grantmaking through two different surveys - the Grantee Perception Survey and the Applicant Perception Survey. The survey process was conducted in May and June of 2010 and we received the results in late Fall of 2010. We realized the importance of evaluating the relationships we've built, the results we've sought, and the processes we've put in place as part of our reflection on the past 10 years and our vision for the future. We want to share what we learned from the survey – both our strengths, which we will continue to build upon, and our opportunities to improve.

Grantees

Overall, the survey responses show that BCBSNC Foundation grantees have strong and highly engaged relationships with their program officers. Grantees feel comfortable approaching the Foundation if a problem arises and they find Foundation staff to be responsive. Grantees also indicate that while time-consuming, the current selection and reporting/evaluation processes are helpful.

Applicants

Overall, the BCBSNC Foundation is seen as responsive, fair and clear about our goals and strategies. However, the Foundation’s written communications are seen as less helpful and applicants are looking for increased clarity within focus areas. They also want the BCBSNC Foundation to gain a better understanding of their goals and strategies. In addition, applicants said they are spending additional hours to complete the application process and that there isn’t enough specific feedback once a proposal is declined.

Our Commitment

Based on the survey results, we commit to the following:

• Improve the clarity of our overall strategies and further target our grantmaking in areas where we can make the most impact for the dollars invested
• Use our website to communicate more clearly what the focus area priorities are and the types of results we are looking to achieve
• Establish structured feedback times to allow for easy scheduling and follow up with program managers
• Streamline the application process by moving to an online grant application

The survey provided great insight and inspired an in-depth look at who we are and how we are perceived. We will continue to build upon our processes to ensure accessibility and fairness for all applicants. In addition, we are committed to making each interaction with the Foundation a positive experience.

We are a North Carolina foundation committed to the health of North Carolinians. We take our mission to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians seriously, and we assure you that we are working alongside our partners and grantees to make North Carolina a healthier place to live.

If you have any questions regarding the survey results, you may contact Valerie Stewart, Program Officer.