Evaluation Blues

By Laura Silverstein & Erin J. Maher 3

How accountability requirements hurt small, innovative programs the most.

Creating High-Impact Nonprofits

By Heather McLeod Grant & Leslie R. Crutchfield 16

Conventional wisdom says that scaling social innovation starts with strengthening internal management capabilities. This study of 12 high-impact nonprofits, however, shows that real social change happens when organizations go outside their own walls and find creative ways to enlist the help of others.

Government by Numbers

By Noah Weiss

How CitiStat’s hard data and straight talk saved Baltimore.

Overhead Isn’t Everything

By Alana Conner Snibbe 1

How donors should think about nonprofit efficiency.

Drowning in Data

By Alana Conner Snibbe 9

Funders are calling for more program evaluation, but nonprofits are often collecting dubious data, at great cost to themselves and ultimately to the people they serve.

Research Rules

By R. Christine Hershey & Andrew Posey

Why nonprofits should do their homework before communicating with the public.

Donor, Heal Thyself

By Paul C. Light

Donor fatigue is ultimately rooted in givers' own reluctance to invest in the future.

Throwing Good Money After Bad

By Judith M. Gueron

A common error misleads foundations and policymakers.

The Ratings Game

By Stephanie Lowell, Brian Trelstad, & Bill Meehan 2

Evaluating the three groups that rate the charities.

Random Thoughts

By Andrea Orr

Poverty Action Lab examines why some charitable programs work better than others.