Tag Archive
Essentials of Foundation Strategy
Data Point: Publicly Communicating Foundation Strategy
May 1st, 2012
Although our research shows that foundation CEOs and program officers overwhelmingly believe that strategy is important for achieving impact, and most possess something they call a “strategy,” we have also learned that many are not using strategy as we define it. In our research, we classify foundation leaders as “more strategic” and “less strategic” based upon the extent to which they embody two defining elements: 1) an external orientation to their decision-making and 2) a hypothesized causal connection between the use of foundation resources and goal achievement. ...
Data Point: Strategy Implementation Challenges
November 11th, 2011
Much of the talk about strategy in philanthropy focuses on its development. Less frequently discussed is implementation. ...
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. ...
Data Point: Stakeholders’ Understanding of Foundation Goals and Strategies
September 30th, 2011
The use and management of data stands at the core of the work undertaken by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. The set of survey tools CEP has developed as well as field-wide research builds comparative data drawn from key constituent groups—grantees, donors, staff members and others—providing insights that enable funders to better define, assess and improve their effectiveness. ...
Should Grant Makers Embrace Experts’ Advice? It Depends
April 22nd, 2010
The following op-ed by Phil Buchanan and Ellie Buteau appeared in most recent issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Buchanan and Buteau caution against new philanthropic formulas and advocate for decision making that is informed by rigorous thought and research. ...
What Are the Limits of Quantitative Performance Measurement?
January 13th, 2010
CEP’s Essentials of Foundation Strategy concludes, “Assessment of results against strategies remains a significant challenge for foundations: staff struggle to determine the right data to collect and how to collect it.” This is an important finding, and explanations are well worth exploring. ...
Why Haven’t Foundations Made More Progress in Becoming Strategic?
January 6th, 2010
Let me say up front that I am a big admirer of CEP. The field needs an independent voice devoted to the comparative assessment of philanthropic practice, and CEP has helped many foundations, including RWJF, improve over the last eight years. ...
A Welcome from Phil Buchanan
December 9th, 2009
Welcome to CEP’s new blog. Here, we hope to bring data and insight to bear on the pressing issues related to philanthropic effectiveness and impact. ...
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...
