In his recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, William Schambra states, "Now, I happen to believe that measurement is finally a futile way to approach grant making, so the lack of enthusiasm for its actual employment is neither particularly surprising nor disturbing to me."  He goes on to say that the few who applaud the results of measurement are likely to also suggest that past measurement efforts failed because researchers "did not do it my way."

As an evaluator in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector for the past 15 years, I do not take issue with Schambra's arguments that traditional measurement has failed and has often been found less than relevant in some--and  maybe many--instances.  However, if he is suggesting that measurement is futile in grantmaking at all levels of implementation (from a funder's investment decisions to a nonprofit's programmatic decisions), then I feel compelled to go to the mat to defend it.  >>Read more. 

Join Gail Gershon, Director of Employee Engagement at Gap Foundation, and TCC Group Partner and Director of Corporate Services Tom Knowlton at the Better Business Bureau's Forum on Corporate Responsibility in New York City on May 3.  They'll highlight how to set goals that facilitate learning, and how this framework influenced Gap's strategic thinking to assess, adjust, and improve programs that benefit both the community and the business.   >>Register here.

Nonprofit boards need the same business smarts as for-profit organizations. Too often, however, directors from for-profit enterprises leave those viewpoints in the company boardroom when they join nonprofit and foundation boards. TCC Group Senior Partner and Director of Research Peter York pinpoints how Directors can--and should--use the same core principles in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors in a recent edition of Directorship magazine.

Collaboration is often key to advocacy success, and coalitions are a very recognizable form of collaboration.  TCC Group Associate Director Jared Raynor, in partnership with InterAction and the Center for Evaluation Innovation, recently participated in a webinar on evaluating coalition effectiveness.  The webinar examines networks and coalitions from an evaluative perspective, building on TCC's work with The California Endowment, the Atlantic Philanthropies, and the Rockefeller Foundation.  Raynor explains how to assess both member and coalition capacity, as well as coalition achievements.  A recording of the webinar is available here. 

TCC Group Associate Director Chris Cardona recently moderated a panel at the Council on Foundations annual conference, focusing on foundation strategy.  The panel featured TCC clients, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, and the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation. Cardona shares his thoughts about the discussion of "who owns the solutions to the social problems" on the Council's blog, RE: Philanthropy.