Motivated to #ShiftThePower in nonprofit evaluations

As I read GrantCraft’s latest report, How Community Philanthropy Shifts Power: What Donors Can Do to Help Make That HappenI found myself scribbling down thoughts relating to nonprofit performance evaluations. Less than a week before, I completed my first year in a doctoral program at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, after working in the nonprofit sector for almost two decades, including nearly ten years with a community philanthropy organization. The GrantCraft report, co-written by Jenny Hodgson and Anna Pond, provides so much practical advice for funders seeking to contribute to positive development outcomes. I particularly welcome the report’s guidance on how funders can use metrics and due diligence to empower local people.

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Reflections from Hungary on helping donors walk the talk

I was recently recovering from the results of the general election in Hungary, and desperate to find new ways to advance my work, when I came across How Community Philanthropy Shifts Power: What Donors Can Do To Help Make That Happen by Jenny Hodgson and Anna Pond, a new leadership paper from GrantCraft and the Global Alliance for Community Philanthropy. Having read a decent amount about how to practice and promote community philanthropy, I was glad to find a publication that aims to support “big donors” (or brave staff of big institutional donors) interested in going beyond paying customary lip service to the topic and to delve into it meaningfully.

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