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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.
…throw stones? Wait, that doesn’t make sense for a blog post about CEP’s new research report, Sharing What Matters: Foundation Transparency. Shouldn’t get changed without the blinds drawn? Shouldn’t skimp on the Windex? Shouldn’t what? That’s what I love about an...
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s latest research report, Sharing What Matters: Perspectives on Foundation Transparency, released last week, provides some startling data about the state of transparency in the foundation world. While for the most part, foundation...
If you watched the Oscars on Sunday night — or if you have been on the internet since — you’ve likely by now seen or heard about Lady Gaga’s striking performance of “Til It Happens to You,” her Oscar-nominated song from the film, The Hunting Ground. The performance of...
When I read CEP’s new report, Sharing What Matters: Perspectives on Foundation Transparency, I immediately focused on the areas in which foundations are doing well and where we need to improve. I was thrilled to learn from the research that foundation CEOs’ views on...
Expectations for sharing information in today’s society are high. Before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest (the list goes on), we didn’t know what our distant relatives were eating for breakfast or have instant access to pictures of a friend’s vacation...
This post from Andrea Brock, former manager on CEP’s research team, originally appeared on the CEP blog in 2013 and delves into findings from CEP’s report, Foundation Transparency: What Nonprofits Want. Next Tuesday, February 23rd, CEP will be releasing a new research...
Providing general operating support can be challenging for grantmakers. From our perspective at CEP, we know funders can sometimes wonder: Is our grant being used to further our mission? Without tying a grant to outcomes, how can we measure our impact? Nonprofit...
I saw drones create 3D scans of buildings, was hugged by a robot that will make human labor on the assembly line irrelevant, and heard that nanotechnology will defeat cancer by 2033. I learned that 3D printers are printing human organs, which is great since deaths in...
Philanthropy is a universal phenomenon, yet civil society in different parts of the world reflects a specific local and cultural context. What can be said about philanthropy today in a post-communist country in the heart of Central Europe? The 2015 World Giving...
Funders’ reporting and evaluation systems are rarely loved — they are more often regarded as compliance or “policing.” But not so for the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an organization that funds grassroots development through community-based organizations in 20...
One of the most common questions we’re asked at CEP is what it takes for a foundation to be as effective as possible. Over the years, through our assessments and research on foundation best practices, we have created a working definition of foundation effectiveness,...
To date, Munich has been most recognized for soccer, Oktoberfest, its many-sided history, or cars. Since the first weekend of September 2015, though, it has also become known as the gateway to Germany for many refugees. Suddenly, the city was on the cover of...
You’ve reviewed documents, interviewed the organization’s staff, sought opinions from peers and other relevant experts, and conducted a site visit. Now, you’re faced with the question: Am I ready to fund? At the Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP), we have an...
With all of the talk about emergent strategy, including Phil Buchanan’s comments in a widely-read post on the CEP blog in 2014, we at Fourth Quadrant Partners (4QP) have been thinking a lot about emergence — the idea, simply put, that the most successful and adaptive...
This post originally appeared on the Associated Grantmakers Blog. Take a moment to imagine yourself as the executive of a small nonprofit attending an information session with a major funder who has recently launched a new strategic plan. You’re anxiously awaiting...
Save the date! We’re thrilled to announce that the 2017 CEP Conference will be held April 4-6, 2017 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. CEP’s biennial national conferences bring together senior foundation leaders and major donors to engage with the most pressing...
Don’t let anyone tell you differently: making meaningful progress on our toughest societal challenges is extremely difficult. There is no magic formula. And a big ego doesn’t help. That is certainly true in education, where all stripes of donors have spent heavily and...
At this time of year, it’s common to hear the hope expressed that, as the Counting Crows song goes, “maybe this year will be better than the last.” That hope for a better year is usually accompanied by a lament about how terribly, horribly bad the year that just ended...
CEP’s Benchmarking Foundation Governance report is an important step forward in transparency, as already noted by Anne Wallestad, president and CEO of BoardSource. Having worked in and around foundations for almost 30 years, I believe governance matters uniquely for...
In reflecting on a year almost (but not quite) yet done, it can often be difficult to fit into a small space all the important things that happen in the span of 365 days, whether it’s in a family holiday card or in a year-end blog post. On the assessment and advisory...