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What distinguishes Isaacs/Jellinek from other consulting firms is its personnel and its philosophy. The key personnel of Isaacs/Jellinek consists of highly qualified individuals with extensive experience in the foundation world - not merely the world of business or management consulting. They have first-hand knowledge of the issues about which they are consulting.
The partners of Isaacs/Jellinek believe that the bottom line is as important to philanthropy as it is to business. However, the two bottom lines are quite different. While business exists to earn a monetary return on investment, the return on a foundation's investment is measured by contributions to the public good. Business often looks for short-term gains (for example, quarterly earnings); foundations, in contrast, must look to the long-term. The basic tools of business are products (which can be ideas or services); the basic tools of foundations are grants and the communication of information accumulated by their grantees. Thus, while business offers useful models for foundations-particularly in matters of managerial efficiency-the most useful ones come from foundations themselves and from the work of their grantees. Wise investment of limited resources recognizes that investing for financial gain is not the same as investing for a social return and builds on the difference.
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