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Steven E. Mayer, Ph.D.

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EVALUATION

Power dynamics
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

Power Dynamics in the Philanthropic Sector

April 1, 2022 Steve Mayer

Are there power dynamics in the philanthropic sector?  There has long been perceived a kind of class warfare between foundations who have the money, and nonprofits who beg for the money.  This is summed up […]

Steve's Book
Steve's Book

How to Show Off Your Wicked Strong Sexy and Incredibly Effective Nonprofit

April 1, 2022 Steve Mayer

…while attracting the supporters, funders, and partners you’ve always wanted
…while being the change you want to see […]

Evaluating philanthropy
PROGRAM EVALUATION

Wanted: Better Evaluation Practices for a Better Philanthropy

January 16, 2021 Steve Mayer

Philanthropy by definition is a noble endeavor. Yet people want to know, “what good does philanthropy do?” The answer is hard to get, partly because philanthropy doesn’t really want to know, and evaluation doesn’t really know how to serve up good answers. This article illuminates the dilemma. […]

Use advocacy
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Use Advocacy To Promote Social Change

November 18, 2020 Steve Mayer

What is “advocacy”?  The word is from Latin, meaning “to give voice” to a cause that it might progress and succeed.  Advocacy has recently become a legitimate strategy to promote social change.  What is advocacy, […]

Evidence of success
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

Evidence of Success: Follow the Action

November 11, 2020 Steve Mayer

In Effective Philanthropy: Make a Difference we made the point that different programs focus their action differently.  Some want to create change at the individual level.  Others want to create change at the system level, […]

Institutional philanthropy
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

Downsides to Philanthropy: The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong

November 5, 2020 Steve Mayer

There are downsides to philanthropy as well as its well-publicized upsides.  Philanthropy has a Jekyll and Hyde approach to benefiting communities and society: talking big but releasing only a trickle of cash on terrible terms […]

Philanthropy, Justice, and Evaluation
JUST PHILANTHROPY

The Confluence of “Philanthropy, Justice, and Evaluation”

November 4, 2020 Steve Mayer

For years, my blog, “JustPhilanthropy.org” ran with the tagline: “From the confluence of philanthropy, justice, and evaluation.” Where is that place? I imagine like one of those braided Alaska rivers with crisscrossing streams – the […]

PROGRAM EVALUATION

Problems With Using A Single Measure of Success

November 4, 2020 Steve Mayer

There’s a problem with using a single measure of success.   It may seem simple, but a single measure of a charitable organization’s productivity, no matter how common-sensible, isn’t nearly enough to convey all that’s important. […]

Bean counting
PROGRAM EVALUATION

Would “Pay For Performance” Be Good In The Social Services?

November 21, 2019 Steve Mayer

Pay for performance in the social services may sound good in principle, but there are many reasons to be skeptical.  There is a certain allure in the many kinds of legislative proposals that link pay […]

PROGRAM EVALUATION

The Corrupting Power of Numbers

June 13, 2019 Steve Mayer

There’s a hopeful mantra going around in evaluation circles that “you get what you measure.”  Personally, I don’t believe it.  I’ve been trying to measure social justice for years, and I can’t say I’ve seen […]

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Recent Articles

  • Power Dynamics in the Philanthropic Sector
    April 1, 2022
  • Community Philanthropy in Central and Eastern Europe
    April 1, 2022
  • How to Show Off Your Wicked Strong Sexy and Incredibly Effective Nonprofit
    April 1, 2022
  • Measures of Success Reflect Someone’s Vision of Success
    April 1, 2022
  • Op-Ed: Philanthropy Must Address Structural Inequities
    April 1, 2022
  • Can Grantmakers and Nonprofits Work Together? Can Anyone See These Indicators of Success?
    April 1, 2022
  • The Assets Model of Community Development
    November 7, 2021
  • Education Works Only When Justice and Economics Work
    November 5, 2021
  • Supporting Low-Income Neighborhood Organizations: A Guide for Community Foundations
    August 23, 2021
  • Relationships as Infrastructure in Southern African American Communities
    July 13, 2021

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ACTIVISM advocacy Appreciative inquiry Asset development Best practices CAPACITY BUILDING Central and Eastern Europe COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Community Foundations Community leadership community philanthropy dignity disparities Effective Communities Project Effective philanthropy EVALUATION Ford Foundation foundations GRANTMAKING hunger institutional racism Jim Crow Justice Just Philanthropy measurement metrics metrics in philanthropy Neighborhood organizations Nonprofit evaluation NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT nonprofits Organizational capacity Paradigms Pathways to Progress philanthropic effectiveness PHILANTHROPY program evaluation progress racial equity social change SOCIAL JUSTICE strategic grantmaking system change Twin Cities venture philanthropy
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Recent Post
  • Power Dynamics in the Philanthropic Sector
  • Community Philanthropy in Central and Eastern Europe
  • How to Show Off Your Wicked Strong Sexy and Incredibly Effective Nonprofit
  • Measures of Success Reflect Someone’s Vision of Success
  • Op-Ed: Philanthropy Must Address Structural Inequities
Tags
ACTIVISM advocacy Appreciative inquiry Asset development Best practices CAPACITY BUILDING Central and Eastern Europe COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Community Foundations Community leadership community philanthropy dignity disparities Effective Communities Project Effective philanthropy EVALUATION Ford Foundation foundations GRANTMAKING hunger institutional racism Jim Crow Justice Just Philanthropy measurement metrics metrics in philanthropy Neighborhood organizations Nonprofit evaluation NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT nonprofits Organizational capacity Paradigms Pathways to Progress philanthropic effectiveness PHILANTHROPY program evaluation progress racial equity social change SOCIAL JUSTICE strategic grantmaking system change Twin Cities venture philanthropy
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