Monthly Archive
February 2011The Plan for CEP 2011-2014, Part II
February 25th, 2011
In my last post I shared CEP’s newly adopted strategic plan. In this video, I explain more about the activities we have chosen to undertake and those we have decided to stop doing. ...
The Plan for CEP 2011-2014
February 22nd, 2011
I have argued on this blog that strategic planning processes — at both nonprofits and foundations — should be open and inclusive. I have called for an approach to strategy that runs “counter to the typical MBA approach to strategy development, in which strategy is formulated under a cloak of secrecy intended to deny potential competitors any knowledge of your intentions. ...
Former CEP Staff Member Ron Ragin Featured in Grammy-Winning Song
February 14th, 2011
Over the course of CEP’s nine and half year history, many CEP staffers have taken time off to participate in activities that they are passionate about, but don’t necessarily relate to their jobs – from contributing to public art projects, to providing sign language and interpretation services, to joining in international volunteer projects. So it was not out of the ordinary when Ron Ragin (currently a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) asked to take a few days off to participate in a concert in LA. ...
Declined Applicants – The Forgotten Perspective
February 8th, 2011
During my time at CEP, I’ve had the opportunity to help an ever-growing number of funders receive feedback from their grantees, declined applicants, staff, and trustees. While each of these groups provides feedback that is essential to funders’ continuous improvement efforts, I’ve always been especially intrigued by the perspective of applicants that are declined funding — and by the nature of grant applicants’ relationships and interactions with foundations. ...
Organizational Changes at CEP
February 4th, 2011
No successful organization gets up and running and growing because of one person, or even two, three, or four people. It takes many individuals with a passionate commitment to making something important happen, and the drive and smarts to do whatever it takes to bring it to fruition. ...
assessing performance
beneficiary feedback
beneficiary perceptions
communications
community foundations
comparative data
conferences
developing strategy
Donor Perception Report
economy
effective philanthropy
Essentials of Foundation Strategy
foundation effectiveness
foundation governance
foundation performance
foundation staff/program officers
foundation strategy
foundation transparency
Funder/Grantee Relationships
funder/grantee relationships
funder effectiveness
giving strategy
goals
Grantee Perception Report
grantee perspectives
Grantee Voice
indicators
leadership
nonprofit sector
overall foundation performance assessment
performance assessment
performance measurement
philanthropy
role of philanthropy
social media
Staff Perception Report
stakeholder engagement
strategy implementation
youth
YouthTruth
Lessons from a Risk Taken
I really appreciate your willingness to share this and your assessment of what didn't work out as planned or anticipated. Thanks.
I really appreciate your willingness to share this and your assessment of what didn't work out as planned or anticipated. Thanks.
Lessons from a Risk Taken
Jon, thanks for the comment. If there’s one thing we learned, it’s that the cost in time and effort and dollars were all higher than...
Jon, thanks for the comment. If there’s one thing we learned, it’s that the cost in time and effort and dollars were all higher than...
Lessons from a Risk Taken
Thanks for sharing the lessons learned, and what I sense are second thoughts about the cost/benefit of the whole enterprise. I appreciate the thirst for...
Thanks for sharing the lessons learned, and what I sense are second thoughts about the cost/benefit of the whole enterprise. I appreciate the thirst for...
Foundations and Impact Investing: What Is Really Going On?
Great insight. Sometimes it's great to invest in multiple countries as security as the economy in one country might decrease and increase in another.
Great insight. Sometimes it's great to invest in multiple countries as security as the economy in one country might decrease and increase in another.
Foundations and Impact Investing: What Is Really Going On?
Great questions. It is likely still too early to get a handle on whether the (potential) results reflect the hype meaningfully. However, I will be...
Great questions. It is likely still too early to get a handle on whether the (potential) results reflect the hype meaningfully. However, I will be...
