Workshop Recap: Ann McCracken, 2011 Distinguished Evaluator

This was an exciting week at the Foundation. We hosted our 10th annual Distinguished Evaluator workship, where we honored Dr. Ann McCracken and her vision of building capacity for evaluation within nonprofit organizations. Ann shared some of her favorite evaluation "lessons learned," and talked about how and why she developed a capacity building approach to evaluation (If you missed it, her presentation is below). We also enjoyed a screening of Saving Philanthropy, a documentary that explores the role of outcomes-driven decision making in nonprofit organizations. After lunch, we enjoyed an afternoon of discussion about how we can work together to strengthen evaluation and a culture of outcomes in our community.

I want to say a special thank you to the panel participants who were willing to share their insights, challenges and ideas with the group:

Diane Wright, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health

Mary Carol Melton, Cincinnati Union Bethel

Shiloh Turner, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Ann Barnum, The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati

Kate Robinson, Saving Philanthropy

During the workshop, we mentioned a number of resources for folks who are interested in learning more about the topic. This isn't a comprehensive list, but I hope it will offer good starting point for those of you who want to know more. If you have resources to share, feel free to post them in the comments.

Health Foundation Events:

Organizations profiled in Saving Philanthropy:
ROCA
Nurse Family Partnership

Tools & Reports
Learning for Social Impact Learning Driven Assessment Workbook

Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact (TRASI) More than 150 assessment tools and resources collected by the Foundation Center

Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS) a group of funders and investors who are working to create a common language for reporting social and environmental impact

Charting Impact The Independent Sector's framework for strategic thinking and sharing impact

Other Information:

Pew Research Center Pew data on national and international trends

American Evaluation Associaton's Tip of the Day Short, practical tips related to evaluation and measurement

Venture Philanthropy Partners Free download of A Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Social Return on Investment Articles on evaluation, impact and nonprofits

Blog: PhilanTopic from Philanthropy News Digest If you only have time for one blog, read PhilanTopic's weekly news roundup (posted on Sundays)