40,022 research outputs found

    The Four Ps of Marketing: A Road Map to Greater Visibility for Community Foundations

    Get PDF
    Outlines a marketing model based on personal contacts, professional advisors, partnerships, and public awareness to raise a community foundation's profile and attract donors. Includes checklists, examples, and guidance on choosing advisors and partners

    A multi-scale, multi-wavelength source extraction method: getsources

    Full text link
    We present a multi-scale, multi-wavelength source extraction algorithm called getsources. Although it has been designed primarily for use in the far-infrared surveys of Galactic star-forming regions with Herschel, the method can be applied to many other astronomical images. Instead of the traditional approach of extracting sources in the observed images, the new method analyzes fine spatial decompositions of original images across a wide range of scales and across all wavebands. It cleans those single-scale images of noise and background, and constructs wavelength-independent single-scale detection images that preserve information in both spatial and wavelength dimensions. Sources are detected in the combined detection images by following the evolution of their segmentation masks across all spatial scales. Measurements of the source properties are done in the original background-subtracted images at each wavelength; the background is estimated by interpolation under the source footprints and overlapping sources are deblended in an iterative procedure. In addition to the main catalog of sources, various catalogs and images are produced that aid scientific exploitation of the extraction results. We illustrate the performance of getsources on Herschel images by extracting sources in sub-fields of the Aquila and Rosette star-forming regions. The source extraction code and validation images with a reference extraction catalog are freely available.Comment: 31 pages, 27 figures, to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysic

    Scope, Scale, and Sustainability: What It Takes to Create Lasting Community Change

    Get PDF
    · This article examines success factors that relate specifically to the ability of a comprehensive community initiative (CCI) to achieve the scope and scale required to generate community-level outcomes and to sustain those positive impacts over time. · The CCIs selected for study represent a wide range of goals, strategies, and organizational structures. · Six factors were found to cut across scope, scale, and sustainability. These factors include having a single broker or entity that holds the vision of the change effort; clearly defined roles; alignment among interventions, resources, and geography; meaningful community engagement; competent leadership and staff; and strategic, cross-level relationships. · Additional factors were found to relate to success in achieving scope, scale, or sustainability individually. · Lessons include to plan, operate, and evaluate based on a systems- and community-change framework; choose focused and affordable strategies; build the capacity to use data; and plan for change and conflict

    2013 Annual Letter from Bill Gates

    Get PDF
    In previous annual letters, Gates focused on the power of innovation to reduce hunger, poverty, and disease. But any innovation -- whether it's a new vaccine or an improved seed -- can't have an impact unless it reaches the people who will benefit from it. That's why in this year's letter, Gates discusses how innovations in measurement are critical to finding new, effective ways to deliver these tools and services to the clinics, family farms, and classrooms that need them.The Foundation is supporting these efforts, but more needs to be done. Given how tight budgets are around the world, governments are rightfully demanding effectiveness in the programs they pay for. To address these demands, we need better measurement tools to determine which approaches work and which do not. In this letter, Gates highlights strong examples from the past year of how measurement is making a difference. In Colorado, Melinda and Bill learned how a school district is pioneering a new system to measure and promote teacher effectiveness. In Ethiopia, Gates witnessed how a poor country, pursuing goals set by the United Nations, delivered better health services to its people. In Nigeria, the digital revolution has allowed the foundation to improve the use of measurement in the campaign to eradicate polio. Thanks to cell phones, satellites, and cheap sensors, data can be gathered and organized with increasing speed and accuracy

    Does coaching work without mentorship in management development?

    Get PDF
    It has been a decade since Karpin highlighted areas that Australian managers needed to improve and identified that they lacked the softer human skills and this needed to be addressed. The terms coaching and mentoring are often synonymous with each other when referring to development programs within organisations. However, the established distinction recognises mentoring as a longer-term guidance and development strategy whereas coaching aims to achieve increased performance in the short-term. Mentoring may occur in a formalised, structured setting or as an informal, unstructured career and personal development arrangement. However, the lack of interventions, based on peer mentoring, may be a contributing factor that restricts the improvement in Australia’s managers. One conclusion is that coaching does not work without mentorship in management development

    Gaining the Arts Advantage: More Lessons from School Districts that Value Arts Education

    Get PDF
    A report from an October 2000 meeting in which 32 school districts from 19 states discussed the current status of arts education in their districts. These districts were profiled in AEP's 1999 report, Gaining the Arts Advantage: Lessons from School Districts that Value Arts Education

    Are We There Yet? A Communications Evaluation Guide

    Get PDF
    Most foundation and nonprofit communicators can speak at length about the work they do and what it's intended to achieve. But when it comes to describing exactly what their efforts are achieving, few can offer specifics.This guide helps foundation and nonprofit communicators learn whether their communications are effective and what is being achieved -- and determine if any course corrections are necessary.Among the reasons stressed for evaluating communication efforts are these:Evaluation improves the effectiveness of communications.Evaluation can help organizations more effectively engage with intended audiences.Situations change - strategies and tactics may need to change as well.Evaluation ensures wise allocation of resources.The guide points out that evaluation need not be limited to large-scale campaigns or major outreach activities, but should also conducted for efforts to raise awareness of an organization or an issue. And once an evaluation is underway, the guide suggests findings be shared with those who may benefit from what is learned, such as team members, the board, colleagues and peers.The guide includes:Background on why evaluation can contribute to good communications.Four case studies of evaluation in action from the Lumina Foundation for Education, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Neimand Collaborative, and the California HealthCare Foundation.A worksheet for creating an evaluation plan
    • …
    corecore