Courtney Klich’s Post

Today I went down the most delightful rabbit hole. It started with a newsletter about an ecosystem approach to philanthropy (and evaluation) that landed in my inbox from FSG. Catalyst's current portfolio includes the use of ecosystem approaches and work with philanthropic organizations, but we have not yet used this language at the same time. Color me intrigued! The newsletter then linked to a blog post by Brenda S. that describes how traditional evaluation methods fall short when it comes to measuring social and systems-level change (yup), along with pillars of trust-based evaluation that can help begin to shift philanthropic and evaluative paradigms. AND examples of how she and others are doing this work - that's right, real examples folks! https://lnkd.in/ejKEnjYu The newsletter also linked to the Equitable Evaluation Initiative which then linked to an entire volume that I had not yet discovered that describes the equitable evaluation framework. https://lnkd.in/eG52Efy7 If anybody needs me for the rest of this week, you might just have to wait - I'll be reading.

It is a powerful concept, Nancy Bacon: the customer should tell us what to do. It's a critical component of lean management philosophy.

💪 Are you prepared for Perpetual? ✔️ Perpetual's IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program (IPAP) is officially open. 💡 A grant round that focuses largely on organisational performance and capability, we're sharing your roadmap to a strong Perpetual IPAP submission. ❗ And remember: always follow the funder's guidelines, ensure you are using the most recent application form, and submit your application well before the 6 December deadline! Read more in the blog ⬇️ #Grants #Funding #Philanthropy Perpetual NFP and Philanthropy

Buy Social Canada released the Guide to Social Enterprise, developed for individuals interested in starting a social enterprise or those seeking to sustain or grow their social enterprise. Access the Guide to Social Enterprise to learn more! ⬇️ https://okt.to/VNBYRa #news #article #nonprofit #charity #foundation #association #community #charities #nonprofits #organizations #community #Canada #SocialEnterprise

Buy Social Canada released the Guide to Social Enterprise, developed for individuals interested in starting a social enterprise or those seeking to sustain or grow their social enterprise. Access the Guide to Social Enterprise to learn more! ⬇️ https://okt.to/UkN9Km #news #article #nonprofit #charity #foundation #association #community #charities #nonprofits #organizations #community #Canada #SocialEnterprise

Read my colleague and friend Quime Williams' brilliant article on the importance of allowing 'vulnerability' in our organisational life cycle, and how this is an essential practice for both funders and movements to build trust!

Despite seeing moderate to high board support in using evaluative data to support strategy, only 38% of foundations report that their boards offer high support for using evaluation or evaluative data to help advance equity. Read more about the state of philanthropy in our 2023 Benchmarking Report and how the report findings point to growth and areas of improvement: https://lnkd.in/dJgEsYXJ

"When philanthropists are passionate about the causes they support, it’s no surprise that they are more likely to partner with organizations that share their values and goals. But while this alignment can result in strong partnerships and collaborations, it can also open up the risk of confirmation bias: wanting things to be true even when evidence suggests otherwise. Especially as philanthropy has been shifting its focus from individual grants and programs to investing in broader systemic change, addressing confirmation bias becomes all the more urgent." Without mechanisms for incorporating disconfirming evidence, grantmakers miss the opportunity for greater impact. Read more in @Stanford Social Innovation Review:

Technology is a cornerstone for success, regardless of an organization's size or mission. For nonprofit organizations, which often operate under tight budget constraints and with limited resources, leveraging technology efficiently is not just an advantage, it's a necessity. https://lnkd.in/d-tjanUG

Insightful commentary from Mariah Rich Collins and Erika Caballero of The Bridgespan Group, who, writing for Candid, describe how funder collaboratives can equitably and effectively measure, evaluate, and learn in the pursuit of greater impact: https://lnkd.in/etJAZhUV At Blue Meridian, we work closely with each of our investees to achieve their vision for scale—from collaborating on their growth plans to advising on building their evidence base and identifying measures of impact. Learning is a core part of our relationships with investees and our approach to philanthropy. Indeed, as Meg Long, Managing Director, Learning, Evaluation, & Measurement, shares, “Blue Meridian’s community—our investees, our investors, and our staff—are unified by our drive to achieve the greatest possible impact with the resources, people, and knowledge that we bring to bear. I believe this vision of impact is only possible if Blue Meridian approaches the practice of evaluation and measurement with the goal of learning at the forefront of our mind.” https://lnkd.in/eJ9QYHcy #philanthropy #learning #impact