Blog
The CEP blog aims to offer a range of perspectives, experiences, and opinions related to effective philanthropic practice. We welcome submissions that address crucial issues facing individual and institutional donors and are not self-promotional in nature. The views expressed in these posts are not necessarily CEP’s own.
More Debate About Claims: An Update
Assertions about what is known should not be made lightly. They matter – especially when they are published in respected journals by respected authors. To the extent that poorly supported, or unsupported, claims are seen by readers to be credible – and practices are...
Framework vs. Franchise: Why Business is an Ineffective Analog for Philanthropy
Foundations’ Sunsetting: A Burgeoning Trend?
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal headlined “Spending Down the Family Foundation” suggests that more philanthropists are choosing to donate all their wealth within their lifetimes, instead of holding it in perpetuity. The story cites...
Methodology Matters, Part 2: A Claim about Companies’ Role in Education in SSIR
On Monday, I posted a blog about the March cover story in Harvard Business Review (HBR), on work-life balance, arguing that the conclusions drawn by the authors were not credible. I took issue with the low sample size of their survey and an interview methodology that...
Methodology Matters: HBR’s Weak Cover Story on Work vs. Life
The cover story of the March 2014 Harvard Business Review (HBR) on work-life balance was of interest to me because, like most of us, I struggle with getting this right. I worry about it for myself, of course, and also for the staff of CEP. So I cracked open...
The Need for a “Discerning Heart”
With so much to read, emails on top of new reports on top of blog posts, it feels like a luxury to re-read…anything. When I have a few free minutes, there are a few pieces I try to return to, particularly an essay by Alan Pifer that serves as a regular reminder to me...
The Grantee Perspective on Nonprofit Sustainability
Off to GEO 2014: Some Thoughts on Foundations – and Effectiveness – Today
My first Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) conference was in 2002, but I remember it very clearly. It was a big deal to me because it was the first time I attended a significant conference and spoke about what CEP was learning in its early research. The...
How Far Have We Come In…Understanding Impact?
In the past decade, foundations have become more deeply engaged in assessing their performance. But performance assessment is only a means to an end. The real question is – do foundations feel like they now have a better understanding of their impact? To find...
Inviting Grantees to the Table
In a recent blog post from my colleague Kevin Bolduc, he shared inspiring examples of two funders trying something a bit different: sharing the results of their Grantee Perception Reports (GPR) in-person with their grantees. While we often see foundations sharing...
A New Look and New Offerings
In the coming days, CEP’s new website will be live (and it may even be by the time you read this), along with a new logo, brand identity, and tag line: Improving foundation performance through data + insight. The launch of this new site comes on the heels of...
Racial Diversity of Foundation Leadership
Seeking Confidence in Your Impact? Broaden Your Definition of Evidence
How can funders better inform their own assessment of progress and earn their – and others’ - confidence in any impact achieved? That’s the question that jumped out at us here at the Center for High...
A Basic Low-Cost GPR Now Available to Small Foundations
At CEP, we strive to make our assessment tools as accessible as possible to as many funders as possible. Since our inception, assessment tools such as our flagship Grantee Perception Report have primarily been used by larger foundations with annual giving of over $5...
What Are Foundations Working to Accomplish?
Data Point: Foundation CEOs’ Greatest Concerns for Foundations
Many people use the start of a new year as a time to think about the future. Some make predictions, others make resolutions. A few have recently shared their hopes for what foundations will do in 2014. But what are foundation CEOs themselves concerned about for the...
A Working Definition of Foundation Effectiveness
Phil Buchanan presents updated CEP’s updated definition of foundation effectiveness, and encourages readers to share their thoughts on what’s missing.
11 New Year’s Wishes
Every New Year, we tend to dream of what the next year might bring. In that spirit, here are my wishes for what we’d see in foundationland in my imagined 2014. Let me emphasize that these are not predictions (I am a bit of a cynic about predictions). These are instead...
Looking Back at 2013: CEP’s Detroit Conference
Phil Buchanan reflects on the past year and recalls our 2013 conference – In Search of Impact – as one of the year’s key highlights.