Writings

A “Dignity Gap”

Dignity is kind of an old fashioned concept and isn’t talked about much. But we all know what it feels…

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Use Advocacy to Promote Social Change

Advocacy includes promoting changes to public or private policies to reduce the flow of victims from unfortunate circumstances (or from…

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How Nonprofits Are Set Up to Fail: Ghosts from Our Pre–Colonial Past

A favorite maxim of mine is that “the fish will be the last to discover water.” We fish can’t easily…

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Successful Neighborhood Self-Help: Some Lessons Learned – A New Introduction

This is not a how-to paper on organizing a neighborhood, nor is it a how-to paper on managing a neighborhood…

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The Confluence of Philanthropy, Justice, and Evaluation

Where all three themes flow together … I’ll write on how we can know when societal institutions, drawing on the…

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Pathways to Progress: Focusing Philanthropy on Racial Equity and Social Justice – A New Introduction

Focusing philanthropy on racial equity means, we found, pursuing six different pathways, sometimes one at a time, sometimes together. Focusing…

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Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble

Take risks. Be a bit more bold than usual, within yourself and then beyond with others. Dare to reach a…

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The Choices We Make as Evaluators: You Gotta Serve Somebody

Those of us with research training already know how to do studies that embrace principles of science.  We could begin…

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CF – The Magazine for Growing Community Foundations

A strong national network of growing community foundations is good for communities.  Community foundations can be a constant source of…

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Happy Birthday, America!

Let’s celebrate our independence by sending birthday gifts to those organizations that are trying to change the system so the…

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Indicators of Freedom: Examples From the Film, “12 Years a Slave”

I turned my list of indicators of enslavement into their more positive form, calling them “indicators of freedom.”  Consider them…

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Institutional Racism: It’s Hard to See Racism When You’re White

If institutional barriers to fairness is the problem in our systems of economic development, justice, school-to-life pathways, etc., then how…

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Looking for Evidence of Success: Follow the Action

A curious donor will wonder where they might see signs that their donation is “making a difference.”  My simple answer:…

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Nonprofit Development and Evaluation: The Untold Story of Who Benefits from Nonprofit Programs

It’s a nonprofit’s responsibility – and opportunity – to understand and help others appreciate its own  construct of effectiveness in…

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How To Save The World: Evaluating Your Choices

“The world isn’t going to be saved overnight, or in a year, or with the one just-right program or policy. It’s people that will save the world, working in a smart accumulation of efforts that together make progress against specific substantial goals.” Steven E. Mayer

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