Research Manager Andy Brock highlights key findings from our new research report exploring what types of foundation transparency really matters to grantees.
Transparency for Those that Need It Most
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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.
Countdown to the CEP Conference
Mark Russell introduces a video of CEP President Phil Buchanan sharing his thoughts on the program of our upcoming national conference, Pursuing Results: Effective Foundation Practice.
Data Point: Consistency Among Foundation Funders
Ellie Buteau shares a data point from our “Room for Improvement” report that highlights the burden that funders’ inconsistent reporting requirements place on grantees.
Better Funder/Grantee Dialogue: From Elusive to Imperative
Guest author Antony Bugg-Levine reflects on findings from the Nonprofit Finance Fund 2013 State of the Sector Survey, discussing how foundations can help nonprofits adapt to do more with less.
Lessons from a Risk Taken
Kevin Bolduc shares some lessons learned about our experiment in offering the Strategy Landscape tool and why it might not have been the right tool at the right time.
If a Former President Can’t Give Funder Feedback, Then Who Can?
Kevin Bolduc finds an unlikely reminder about the difficulty of collecting candid feedback from grantees, but urges funders to prioritize this effort.
This Revolution Will Be Improvised
Guest author Peter Sims calls for more courage and creativity from philanthropists in order to lead the way toward solving complex social problems.
Data Point: Why Conduct an Overall Foundation Assessment?
Ellie Buteau shares a data point on the reasons behind overall foundation performance assessment ahead of a presentation on the topic by Phil Buchanan at the Council on Foundations 2013 Annual Conference.
Foundations and Impact Investing: What Is Really Going On?
Phil Buchanan raises questions about what we know about foundations’ involvement in impact investing and calls for new research to explore the topic.
Diving Deeper into Nonprofit Performance Assessment
Addy Ashiru introduces the recording from a recent CEP panel discussion on the role funders can—but currently fail to—play in supporting nonprofit performance assessment.
Chasing Staff Satisfaction
Director of Talent Brian Hughes examines the fluid nature of staff satisfaction but emphasizes the importance of pursuing it for any organization that wishes to be effective.
Sifting Through the “Research”
Phil Buchanan warns against the scurrilous errors that can infect supposed “research” and asks us all to become more discerning readers.
Opportunity in Communities: Developing the Whole Picture
Guest author Elizabeth Clay Roy shares how Opportunity Nation is using data to inspire deeper collaboration among stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
Building Through Collective Experience
CEP Vice President Kevin Bolduc lays out the agenda for a preconference seminar for users of CEP Assessment Tools, highlighting our keynote presenter and touting the virtues of peer-to-peer learning.
Appreciating an Underdeveloped Source of Insight
Stephen Sullivan highlights an important new article about the insights gained when you incorporate the voice of beneficiaries in a measure of a program’s effectiveness.
Mission Driven Investing: Philanthropy’s Surprising Returns
Guest author Sterling Speirn lays out the reasoning behind the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s foray into impact investing and the returns they have seen after five years with this approach.
The Hidden Power of Measurement
Referencing the themes of Bill Gates’ latest Annual Letter, Mark Russell argues that measurement alone will never ensure that “progress becomes commonplace.”
Data Point: Foundations’ Information Needs vs. Nonprofits’ Needs
Ellie Buteau shares a data point from our “Room for Improvement” report about the tension between foundations’ information needs and those of the grantees they fund.
Transforming School Culture Through Student Feedback: One School’s Experience
Jen Vorse Wilka introduces a video of a high school principal talking about his experience with the YouthTruth survey and how feedback he collected from his students has allowed him to alter the culture of learning at his school.
Making Evaluation Matter
Phil Buchanan reviews a new internal working paper from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and discusses why distinctions in evaluation practices matter.