In the recently released Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation annual report, new CEO Jeff Raikes outlined a vision for the foundation that looks to increase its impact irrespective of the current economic climate.

"As we look toward a future of economic uncertainty, I have two priorities as CEO to help the Gates Foundation increase our impact per dollar spent.

The first is to make sure our internal processes run smoothly. One of my key responsibilities as CEO is to create an environment in which our staff can do its best work. Earlier this year, we surveyed all our employees for the first time ever. We were heartened by many of the findings—99 percent of respondents are proud of what the foundation stands for—but our staff also told us that it can be hard to get things done at the foundation. We need to clear some hurdles so we can all focus our energy on the people we aim to help. We’re currently developing a plan to address the results of the survey.

My second priority is to improve the quality of our external partnerships, which are our lifeblood. I know we are not doing as good a job as we can in this area. Starting with me, everybody at the foundation needs to make a concerted effort to listen more carefully to what our partners in the field have to tell us."

Raikes has approprately identified the right bottom line, impact.  As the CEO, he's tasked with maximizing the amount of impact the foundation can create.  And he's smartly identified that increasing investment isn't the only way to increasing impact.  A nonprofit's impact ROI is a not a fixed ratio.  By critically examining how it can generate more impact from its existing investments and in particular by purporsefully engaging employees and parters in doing so, the Gates Foundation should continue to increase its already substantial impact even while its endowment is stagnant.