Stephen Sullivan shares his reflections on the EPIP 2012 National Conference.
Effectiveness from Everywhere in the Org Chart
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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.
Data Point: Publicly Communicating Foundation Strategy
Ellie Buteau highlights a data point on one measure of how foundation leaders openly present their strategies.
The Winding Path to Being a Foundation CEO
Phil Buchanan examines where current foundation CEOs came from and what that means for the future of philanthropic leadership.
Transitions at CEP and YouthTruth: Appreciating a Leader
With the announcement of a transition in leadership, Phil Buchanan reflects on the past and future of the YouthTruth project.
Why Staff Feedback Should Matter for Everyone
Austin Long makes the case that regularly checking the pulse of foundation employees is a critical step in assessing organizational effectiveness.
Are Funders and Their Grantees Discussing Racial Diversity?
Ellie Buteau presents findings drawn from our Grantee Perception Report on the level of communication funders and their grantees are having related to racial diversity.
CEP’s Work to Date on the Topic of Racial Diversity in Philanthropy
Ellie Buteau and Kevin Bolduc introduce the ways in which CEP has begun to study racial diversity in the philanthropic sector.
Is Anybody There? Does Anybody Care?
Guest author Joel Orosz examines the sometimes frustrating experience of applying for a grant — and what that means for practitioners of philanthropy.
New Efforts to Improve the Grantee Perception Report
Amber Bradley shares some lessons learned from our collection of feedback on the GPR and offers two steps we’re taking in response.
Data Point: What are Foundation CEOs’ Attitudes Toward Assessment?
Ellie Buteau presents a data point that refutes the notion that CEOs believe that philanthropic decision-making should place greater emphasis on intuition.
To What End?
Phil Buchanan asks the philanthropic community not to lose sight of the essentials of goals and strategy.
Walking the Talk: Collecting Feedback from Our Donor Perception Report Subscribers
Grace Nicolette shares the results of an independent survey of CEP’s Donor Percetion Report.
The 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Foundation Boards
Phil Buchanan lists the bad habits that hinder the effectivness of foundation governance.
Data Point: Finding Out Whether Your Assistance to Grantees Makes a Difference
Ellie Buteau is back with a data point on how frequently foundations follow up with their grantees after providing them with assistance beyond the grant to understand its effects.
Time for a Gold Standard of Use
Fay Twersky of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation believes it is time for the social sector to make better use of best practices in data collection and usage.
A Step Forward for Charting Impact
Kevin Bolduc discusses why the Charting Impact project is an important step toward transparency and performance measurement in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.
Data Matters: Let’s Look Within To Find Our Exemplars
Phil Buchanan argues that we can find plenty of leadership on data utilization within the nonprofit sector, where exemplars abound.
To Judge or Not to Judge: The Brainstorming Myth
Phil Buchanan reflects on the limits of brainstorming after having his assumptions challenged by a recent article from the New Yorker by Jonah Lehrer.
Getting to Transparency that Matters
Stephen Sullivan introduces video highlights of Phil Buchanan sharing his thoughts on the tensions between transparency and effectivness from a panel discussion held December 6, 2011.
Data Point: Foundations’ Use of Logic Models and Theories of Change
Research Manager Andrea Brock shares a data point on foundation CEOs’ use of logic models in guiding their work.