To learn more about what it takes to effectively get a grantmaking organization off the ground, CEP interviewed 35 leaders — including trustees, CEOs, program staff, and operations staff — of 14 grantmaking organizations that were established, or that experienced significant growth, in the past 20 years and that hold at least $350 million in assets. Greater Good: Lessons from Those Who Have Started Major Grantmaking Organizations distills insights gleaned from those interviews, offering guidance for a new wave of philanthropic leaders as they seek to build thriving grantmaking organizations that can best support nonprofits to achieve shared goals. While there is no single blueprint for those new to philanthropy to follow, across CEP’s interviews emerged three key elements for effectively getting grantmaking organizations up and running.