The Value of Strategic Planning & Evaluation
In this ongoing series of essays, practitioners, consultants, and academics explore the value of strategy and evaluation, as well as the limits and downsides of these practices.
Philanthropy Innovative ideas for donors, foundation leaders, and philanthropists
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Rereading “Collective Impact”: Three Lessons
Fresh insights gleaned from the article that started it all.
Review
Prepare to Update Your Theory of Change
The new book Scarcity provides critical insights for designing better anti-poverty programs, but not for allocating scarce philanthropic resources.
Collective Impact: Funder, Heal Thyself
Thoughts on recent local and national funder conversations.
Making Sense of Data and Information in the Social Sector
A new eBook captures discussion and debate around how to strengthen the social sector “information infrastructure.”
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Drowning in Data
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.
Ten Nonprofit Funding Models
With an understanding of these 10 funding models, nonprofit leaders can use the for-profit world's valuable practice of engaging in succinct and clear conversations about long-term financial strategy.
What Is Community Anyway?
Our understanding of community can help funders and evaluators identify, understand, and strengthen the communities they work with.
Ten Reasons Not to Measure Impact—and What to Do Instead
Impact evaluations are an important tool for learning about effective solutions to social problems, but they are a good investment only in the right circumstances.
The Elitist Philanthropy of So-Called Effective Altruism
The superficially enticing “logic” of effective altruism ultimately leads to a moralistic, hyper-rationalistic, top-down approach to philanthropy that can kill the very altruistic spirit it claims to foster.