Tag Archive
foundation strategy
Foundations and Impact Investing: What Is Really Going On?
April 2nd, 2013
Impact investing has been hailed as potentially transformational by nonprofit sector, corporate, and foundation leaders. Elizabeth Littlefield, President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, has called it “the game-changer we need in the quest to end poverty” that will allow us to “solve many of the world’s social problems while making attractive financial returns. ...
Building Through Collective Experience
February 27th, 2013
Philanthropy tends to work on big problems, where the way forward isn’t necessarily clear and even the end point is up for debate. Given that ambiguity and the scope of work required to make meaningful progress, it can be hard to know where to start or how to keep yourself focused on moving forward. ...
Searching for Certitude in the Nuance of Numbers
November 27th, 2012
An alternate, condensed version of this post can be found on the Markets for Good blog. We all know it. ...
Five Hurdles to Nonprofit Performance Assessment
September 25th, 2012
At BELL, we recognize that our ability to measure performance has a direct impact on our scholars, our educators, our programs, and ultimately, our organizational sustainability. The ability to illustrate how and why programs work is a prerequisite to achievement of any nonprofit’s mission. ...
Engaging Grantees In Foundations’ Social Media and How To Tell If It’s Working
August 16th, 2012
Last week, more than 175 funders tuned into a webinar hosted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy to hear more about new research that seems to have struck a nerve. According to the report, titled Grantees’ Limited Engagement with Foundations’ Social Media, very few grantees—about 16 percent—are engaging on social media with their foundation funders. ...
Scanning the Philanthropic Landscape
July 19th, 2012
I’ve spent the past few months discussing the challenges foundations across the nation are facing. As I’ve spoken with foundation executives, I have come to realize that opportunities for funders to learn directly from peers are few and far between. ...
Companies to the Rescue
June 13th, 2012
This is the fifth in a series of six blog posts. In my last several posts, I have described what I regard as worrisome trends: the way many (inside and outside the nonprofit sector) push for a “blurring of boundaries” between sectors, disparage the term “nonprofit,” and equate “business thinking” with “effectiveness. ...
The Need for Clear Boundaries
May 24th, 2012
This is the second in a series of six blog posts. It has become an article of faith that the “boundaries are blurring” between nonprofits and companies, and that this is inarguably positive. ...
Data Point: Foundations’ Use of Logic Models and Theories of Change
February 3rd, 2012
The use of logic models and theories of change has been much discussed and debated in the field of philanthropy. Some advocates for their use suggest that foundation staff members need to articulate the logic of how the foundation’s work will lead to the achievement of its goals if they are to have a chance of achieving them – and if they are ever to understand the impact of their efforts. ...
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...
