Building a Strategic Learning and Evaluation System for Your Organization

The current state of evaluation in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors points to the need for a more strategic approach to evaluation. In this guide, we provide a framework and set of practices that can help organizations be more systematic, coordinated, and intentional about what to evaluate, when, why, with whom, and with what resources

Evaluating Ecosystem Investments

This report focuses on what was learned about best practices for evaluating the effects of ecosystem investments along with examples of how others are using these practicesin their work.MethodologyThree research questions guided this engagement:What are the new / best practices in evaluating the effects of ecosystem invest­ments?Which organizations are evaluating these investments well? What can they teach us?What relevant outcomes and indicators could Omidyar Network use to evaluate its ecosystem investments?To answer these questions, FSG conducted the following activities, in addition to drawing on our experience supporting strategic learning and evaluation in complex environments. Appendix A includes a complete list of grants reviewed and interviewees.Grants analysis: FSG analyzed Omidyar Network's Initiative Results Architecture frameworks and 23 grants within its ecosystem investment portfolio. These docu­ments helped ground our research in an understanding of the different types of ecosystem investments Omidyar Network is making, as well as how the organiza­tion currently evaluates the impact of its ecosystem investments.Literature review: FSG reviewed more than 60 publications to identify best practices in evaluating ecosystem investments—these publications included both peer-reviewed journal articles and "grey literature" (conference presentations, blog posts) by organizations employing advocacy-type strategies.Interviews: FSG conducted interviews with nine external experts (listed in Appen­dix A) to more deeply understand effective practices in evaluating the effects of eco­system investments and to identify leading organizations in this area. Interviewees were identified to glean best practices from both within and outside the traditional social sector

Facilitating Intentional Group Learning: A Practical Guide to 21 Learning Activites

Many of today's social sector organizations are searching for ways to be more nimble, adaptive, and responsive, and they are looking to "learning" as a means for responding to myriad competing demands and shifting priorities and challenges. In particular, a range of publications and conferences have shown an interest in learning as a tool for social change. For example, in 2005, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) reminded us that "Learning is about continual reflection—asking and answering key questions you need to know to make smarter decisions. It's about engaging staff, the board, and grantees in reflective discussion of what works (and what doesn't) to advance your organization's mission and goals" (p. 2).Others of us, including the Center for Evaluation Innovation, Innovation Network, Grantmakers in Health, Grantmakers in Education, Grantcraft, Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University, Council on Foundations, Center for Effective Philanthropy, Nonprofit Quarterly, and a variety of foundations, corporate philanthropic organizations, and consultants, have made learning a cornerstone of our work. Many such organizations have consistently communicated the importance of being a learning organization, supporting strategic learning through evaluation and other forms of data collection, and forging intentional connections between strategy, evaluation, and learning.While it is clear that the topic of learning remains of great importance to the social sector, many organizations, including those in the public and private sectors, seem to be stuck on operationalizing what it means to engage in and support intentional learning in their organizations. We hope this guide will help a wide array of professionals better understand how and when to use group learning activities to intentionally support and facilitate continuous learning through reflection and dialogue

Two Decades of Investment in Substance-Use Prevention and Treatment

This FSG report assesses two decades of investment by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to reduce harm from alcohol and other drugs in the United States. Over this time, the foundation spent nearly $700 million in pursuit of this goal, representing the largest investment in substance use prevention and treatment ever made by a nonprofit, philanthropic funder.This retrospective assessment explores the evolution of the foundation's substance-use strategies and goals, examines what RWJF achieved as a result of these efforts, and identifies strengths and challenges of the foundation's approach

Redefining Expectations for Place-based Philanthropy

This article discusses how The California Endowment has used a midcourse strategic review to refine Building Healthy Communities, aiming to provide insight for other place-based initiatives and to add to the body of knowledge about how to support transformative community change. With Building Healthy Communities, the endowment is taking a new approach to community change using a dual strategy to build community capacity in 14 places and scale the impact of its local efforts through statewide policy advocacy and communications. In 2013, it commissioned a strategic review to reflect on what it has learned from the first three years of this innovation in place-based work. Through interviews, focus groups, surveys, and document review, examples have emerged of how this unique approach is contributing to community change. The review also surfaced tensions created by the design and implementation of the strategy that could impede progress

Evaluating Complexity: Propositions for Improving Practice

This practice brief is intended to bring together knowledge about systems change, complexity, and evaluation in a way that clarifies and describes how the practice of evaluation needs to evolve to better serve the social sector

Museums and Visitor Photography: Redefining the Visitor Experience

Linda Henkel is a contributing author (with Katelyn Parisi and Carey Mack Weber), “The Museum as Psychology Lab: Research on Photography and Memory in Museums”, pp. 152-83. Book description: Museums and Visitor Photography: Redefining the Visitor Experience addresses some of the most fundamental issues relating to the burgeoning phenomenon of visitor photography - in a format which is attractive, approachable and actionable. Based on new research, and on innovative practice in leading museums (including the British Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, Rijksmuseum and Wellcome Collection), this lavishly-illustrated, 500 page handbook will help you understand, connect with, and sympathetically manage visitors’ participation - both in the museum and online. -- Publisher description.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/psychology-books/1012/thumbnail.jp