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 Volume
1 • March 2005
Nine Strategies for
Conducting
Foundation-Wide Evaluation
Dear Philanthropy Professional,
Many
foundations devote considerable time and resources to evaluating
the effectiveness of their grantees and programs, but who evaluates
the effectiveness of the foundation itself? If you want to affirm
the value of your current philanthropic activities – and, more
importantly, identify how you can do better in the future –
it makes sense to periodically assess how well your foundation
is living up to its goals and mission.
But
what exactly should you measure, and where should you begin?
The California
HealthCare Foundation asked Putnam Community Investment Consulting
to determine how other foundations are conducting foundation-wide
evaluations. Our goals: to identify the measures being used, and
to pinpoint the issues a foundation should consider before undertaking
its own evaluation.
Below,
we summarize the key findings of this scan which focused on large,
private, regional, and national foundations. We hope you’ll
find these nine strategies informative and thought-provoking. Perhaps
they may even serve as a jumping-off point for your own foundation-wide
evaluation. Let
us know what you think: we welcome your comments and ideas!
The
Nine Strategies:
1. Clarify
your mission, audience, and learning objectives. Before you
can determine which measures to use in a foundation-wide evaluation,
you must first:
- Clarify measurable
mission, goals, strategies and desired outcomes;
- Identify
priority audiences and involve them in evaluation planning;
- Establish
learning objectives: What do you want to know?
- Anticipate
how your foundation plans to use the findings.
2. Use an
approach that fits your foundation. Your approach to foundation-wide
evaluation should be individualized to your organization. Explore
some emerging approaches on page 10 in Measuring
Foundation Performance: Examples from the Field.
3. Decide
what you want to measure. What does your foundation want to
learn from this evaluation? It takes more than one measure to assess
the overall impact of your foundation. See the measures other foundations
are using to conduct their own evaluations on page 13 in Measuring
Foundation Performance: Examples from the Field.
4. Consider
your reasons for evaluation. The impetus for self-examination
will influence the framework and deliverables of your evaluation.
Are you responding to a crisis? Laying the groundwork for strategic
planning? Creating a model for continuous learning?
5. Involve
the board. Because board members are often the primary audience
for foundation-wide evaluation, it is vital to involve them in the
planning process. This will also encourage organizational learning
based on the findings.
6. Locate
the evaluation function where it can best facilitate use of findings.
If you want your foundation-wide evaluation to help inform foundation
strategy, be sure the individual or unit responsible has the authority
to make strategy-level decisions.
7. Cultivate
an organizational culture that supports learning. Your board
and CEO should nurture an environment where board, staff, grantees,
and partners can openly discuss success, challenges, and failures.
8. Examine
tangible progress toward meeting foundation goals. Connect your
evaluation framework to your foundation's goals. Don't get caught
up in other foundations' measures or the "latest trends"
in evaluation.
9. Start
somewhere, then move forward. The prospect of measuring everything
at once can be overwhhelming. Many foundations create a theory of
change, then start with measures that are of greatest interest to
the board. Over time, the evaluation can be expanded to include
other measures.
Download
the full report
Measuring Foundation Performance: Examples from the Field. Find out which foundations are conducting or considering foundation-wide
evaluation, see what measures they are using, and study some emerging
models of foundation-wide evaluation.
Explore
More Resources
We found these resources helpful while conducting
our research, and thought you might, too.
Indicators
of Effectiveness: Understanding and Improving Foundation
Performance
(The Center for Effective Philanthropy)
Evaluation
in Foundations: The Unrealized Potential (Patricia Patrizi and
Bernard McMullan)
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