Below are links to a paper I wrote exploring why evaluating impact is so fraught and how communities, NGOs, funders and evaluators can work together better. The paper, entitled Building a better ecosystem for supporting our communities and the role of evaluation, was was written for the journal “Evaluation Matters – He Take Tō Te…
Continue reading →What does it mean to be a great nonprofit? How do great nonprofits compare to good nonprofits? And how do we get there? This was the topic I was asked to explore at the Tonic Conference for nonprofits, held in Tauranga, Aotearoa New Zealand and put on by the good folk at Exult. Here are…
Continue reading →If we are serious about impact and outcomes, Collective Impact seems a promising approach. I recently presented on the topic of “Collective Impact – the possibilities, pitfalls and Aotearoa NZ experience” at a funding hui in Taupo. You can view the presentation below, and a big thanks to Comet Auckland and to the Tow Foundation…
Continue reading →Making social funding dependent on proving outcomes is a compelling concept – but one that is full of fishhooks. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Social Bond pilot (also known as Social Impact Bonds) and the Ministry of Social Development’s Community Investment Strategy to Invest in Services for Outcomes are examples of this seemingly simple and…
Continue reading →Funders, both government and philanthropic, often have a strong focus on measuring the outcomes, impact and effectiveness of the initiatives they fund. Which is great – but is that focus equally directed at measuring the outcomes, impact and effectiveness of ourselves as funders? Often the answer is no – and there’s some good reasons for…
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