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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.
Phil Buchanan discusses how CEP’s May conference helped him reflect on a challenge he faces as CEP’s president: How do leaders get the best out of people by encouraging them to speak up while simultaneously fostering a culture in which people challenge each other to get to the best solutions?
Quotes and video clips of Jeff Raikes, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at CEP’s 2011 conference are shared in this post by writer Susan Parker.
Beth Kanter shares takeaways from the social media session she participated in at CEP’s conference, noting the relevance of a broader theme at the conference: foundation transparency.
For the past four years I have been responsible for producing The Irvine Foundation’s Annual Performance Report, our foundation-wide assessment of program impact and operational performance. Through my work on that report I have come to understand that focusing on...
Bruce Trachtenberg shares the foundation communication trends and themes he observed at CEP’s 2011 conference.
Ellie Buteau shares the press release for “Can Feedback Fuel Change at Foundations?,” which shows that foundations that use the Grantee Perception Report (GPR) more than once are making changes that are benefiting the organizations they fund. In addition to describing the data analysis and profiling foundations that have made improvements, the report identifies four keys to driving change as a result of the GPR.
Kate Wolford reflects on how themes at CEP’s conference align with her own foundation’s work and challenges.
Ed Pauly shares what he believes is the most important step in achieving results: getting the facts.
As I leave a conference marking the 10th anniversary of the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), I find myself reflecting on our progress as a field in understanding what exactly constitutes “effective philanthropy.” At the heart of CEP’s approach has been...
I was en route to the Center for Effective Philanthropy's (CEP) bi-annual conference in Boston when an in-flight magazine article prompted some thinking about issues of measurement in our sector. The article references a 15-year old essay by Paul Krugman and compares...
The ______ Little Pigs. The ______ Bears. Catch-____. Stories don’t amount to much without the numbers. We all know the power of story-telling in philanthropy. Stories can move our grantees to action, compel our colleagues to support important work, engage our...
The subject of foundation transparency – especially to whom and for what purpose – can sometimes be murky. While there's no doubt that foundations should be transparent – and I can't imagine anyone disagreeing with that – to me it's not simply a question of whether...
Collecting feedback from grantees about a foundation’s performance seems like a good idea, but does it lead to any change? “Since we began [the Grantee Perception Report®] eight years ago, a big question is whether collecting feedback from grantees that is candid,...
Philanthropy is about beginnings - new ideas, new projects, new awards, and new initiatives. Foundation program staff are attracted to philanthropic jobs because of the opportunity to start projects that will make a difference in people’s lives. To the...
In advance of next week’s conference, CEP Board Member Crystal Hayling has been sharing via short videos her excitement about the event and what she hopes to take away from the sessions. Her videos are below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpovQu0JLp8...
As CEP’s May 10-11 conference approaches, I have been contacted by a few in the foundation community and asked, “What kind of a statement do you intend to make by having Esther Duflo speak at your conference?” Does CEP’s invitation to Duflo – an MIT economist and...
Alyse d’Amico welcomes M. Christine DeVita, president of The Wallace Foundation, to CEP’s Board of Directors.
Kevin Bolduc needs help! Please share your suggestions, your sketches, and your knowledge to improve CEP’s comparative data charts.
Phil Buchanan questions what constitutes a “trend” in the nonprofit sector.
Amber Bradley introduces a new tool that highlights ways grantmaking procedures can be streamlined—reducing the burdens on both funders and applicants.