Comments on: Should Grant Makers Embrace Experts’ Advice? It Depends http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/2010/04/should-grant-makers-embrace-experts%e2%80%99-advice-it-depends/ The blog of the Center for Effective Philanthropy Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:10:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Joe Brown http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/2010/04/should-grant-makers-embrace-experts%e2%80%99-advice-it-depends/comment-page-1/#comment-1983 Joe Brown Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:26:32 +0000 http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/?p=396#comment-1983 Phil, thanks very much for your clarification regarding "capacity building", as well as pointing me to the research report on assistance beyond the grant. I was particularly heartened by the report’s conclusion that comprehensive assistance was of far greater value to grantees than assistance in only a few areas, and struck by the staff/management training — one of my areas of focus — was among the least often provided areas of assistance I did notice that the report defines “effectiveness” primarily in terms of the grantee having a “different and more positive experience” with the foundation. While this is certainly a good thing, it is far from ultimate as a measure of grantees’ success in fulfilling their missions, so perhaps “effectiveness” is yet another word which might merit quotation marks. Phil, thanks very much for your clarification regarding “capacity building”, as well as pointing me to the research report on assistance beyond the grant. I was particularly heartened by the report’s conclusion that comprehensive assistance was of far greater value to grantees than assistance in only a few areas, and struck by the staff/management training — one of my areas of focus — was among the least often provided areas of assistance

I did notice that the report defines “effectiveness” primarily in terms of the grantee having a “different and more positive experience” with the foundation. While this is certainly a good thing, it is far from ultimate as a measure of grantees’ success in fulfilling their missions, so perhaps “effectiveness” is yet another word which might merit quotation marks.

]]> By: Phil Buchanan http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/2010/04/should-grant-makers-embrace-experts%e2%80%99-advice-it-depends/comment-page-1/#comment-1981 Phil Buchanan Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:55:29 +0000 http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/?p=396#comment-1981 Thanks very much for your comment. We used quotation marks when discussing "capacity building" simply because the term seems to us to be ill-defined, though much-discussed. We care deeply about the effectiveness of those doing the work on the ground and have in fact done research (http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/assets/pdfs/CEP_MoreThanMoney.pdf) on how funders can best assist nonprofits in ways that go beyond the grant. Sad fact is that, today, much of the assistance that is offered by funders appears from our analyses to be ineffective. So perhaps we should use quotation marks around that word, too. Thanks very much for your comment. We used quotation marks when discussing “capacity building” simply because the term seems to us to be ill-defined, though much-discussed. We care deeply about the effectiveness of those doing the work on the ground and have in fact done research (http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/assets/pdfs/CEP_MoreThanMoney.pdf) on how funders can best assist nonprofits in ways that go beyond the grant. Sad fact is that, today, much of the assistance that is offered by funders appears from our analyses to be ineffective. So perhaps we should use quotation marks around that word, too.

]]> By: Joe Brown http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/2010/04/should-grant-makers-embrace-experts%e2%80%99-advice-it-depends/comment-page-1/#comment-1978 Joe Brown Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:14:17 +0000 http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/?p=396#comment-1978 I am curious about the quotation marks surrounding "build the capacity" of nonprofit organizations in the original article and subsequently around "capacity building". I'm immediately reminded of John McCain's infamous use of air quotes around the phrase "the health of the woman", and catch a whiff of suspicion that organizational capacity are less-than-worthy concepts. Those in philanthropy who are somewhat removed from the ground on which nonprofits work should remain cognizant of the fact that it is only through the capacity of nonprofit organizations that their money has any impact. I am curious about the quotation marks surrounding “build the capacity” of nonprofit organizations in the original article and subsequently around “capacity building”. I’m immediately reminded of John McCain’s infamous use of air quotes around the phrase “the health of the woman”, and catch a whiff of suspicion that organizational capacity are less-than-worthy concepts.

Those in philanthropy who are somewhat removed from the ground on which nonprofits work should remain cognizant of the fact that it is only through the capacity of nonprofit organizations that their money has any impact.

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