Topic Archive
Constituent Feedback
Appreciating an Underdeveloped Source of Insight
February 21st, 2013
Amidst a flurry of recent talk about the opportunities and challenges presented by the application of “big data” in philanthropy, one aspect of the conversation that is often overlooked is beneficiary feedback. Yet, with a growing body of research that demonstrates a link between beneficiary perceptions and outcomes, there is both a moral and an effectiveness argument to be made for listening to those we seek to help. ...
We Just Need To Listen
November 14th, 2012
There is a wonderful piece in October’s The Atlantic that anyone who cares about educating kids ought to read. “Why Kids Should Grade Teachers” by Amanda Ripley makes a powerful case for incorporating student feedback into educational reform efforts. ...
Transitions at CEP and YouthTruth: Appreciating a Leader
April 19th, 2012
About four and a half years ago, I got off a plane and checked voicemail on my cell phone to find a message from Fay Twersky, then Director of Impact Planning and Improvement at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (now Senior Fellow at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation). Fay had been talking with me about the potential for CEP to help bring the voices of intended beneficiaries – those whose lives a foundation and its grantees seek to touch – more to the fore. ...
New Efforts to Improve the Grantee Perception Report
March 28th, 2012
At CEP, we are driven by the belief that feedback can fuel positive change. Since joining CEP I’ve been proud that we walk this talk with our own work; each year — as a part of our internal efforts towards assessment and ongoing improvement — we conduct a survey of funders participating in the Grantee Perception Report (GPR). ...
Walking the Talk: Collecting Feedback from Our Donor Perception Report Subscribers
March 14th, 2012
At CEP, we are in the business of gathering feedback. A significant part of our work involves helping philanthropic funders gather comparative feedback from key stakeholders. ...
The Unique and Urgent ‘Business’ of Philanthropy
December 22nd, 2011
The following blog post is adapted from a talk presented at a meeting of the Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington. As Suk Rhee mentioned in her introduction, I am a native Oregonian, so I know that there is no better place than the Pacific Northwest. ...
YouthTruth Announces Strategic Partnership with The New Teacher Project
December 19th, 2011
I am pleased to announce a new partnership between YouthTruth and The New Teacher Project, which will bring student perspectives to teacher performance evaluations. See the video below for details or read the press release. ...
Data Point: Getting Input When Developing Strategies
November 4th, 2011
Being “strategic” in philanthropy is sometimes equated with being isolated, arrogant, or top-down, with foundation leaders asserting detailed theories of change to rigidly guide grantmaking. But CEP’s research suggests that the opposite is the case. ...
A Foundation Asks its Constituents About How Best to Spend $100 Million
October 17th, 2011
I was struck by a September 29th blog post written by Chris Langston, program director at the John A. Hartford Foundation in New York City. ...
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...
