tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post5047212667958480420..comments2024-03-28T03:11:22.839-07:00Comments on PHILANTHROPY 2173: Open Philanthropy: A Modest ManifestoLucy Bernholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-63640316874679745892010-04-27T10:31:31.918-07:002010-04-27T10:31:31.918-07:00Lucy, I am so with you on Open Source data sharing...Lucy, I am so with you on Open Source data sharing by foundations. I also have been raising this issue for a few years. See my August 2008 blog post "Open source final reports on grant funded projects?" <br />http://bit.ly/bcnbWr<br /><br />Thanks for getting this idea moving faster.GayleGiffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02669791618450315086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-25738379344620555122010-04-22T14:18:08.962-07:002010-04-22T14:18:08.962-07:00Being provocative for a moment --
I wonder how th...Being provocative for a moment --<br /><br />I wonder how the dynamics of Crowdsourced peer reviews of tax exempt entities like foundations versus nonprofits might work? The spotlight typically seems to target nonprofits to show results (and Crowdsourcing bullet point does as well). <br /><br />In the private sector one organization both funds and implements on its objectives. In the nonprofit sector the granter-grantee relationship between philanthropy and nonprofits splits this process between resourcer and implementer -- two sides of the same coin. <br /><br />We typically concentrate on evaluating the implementer (which I agree is important) but nonprofits *depend* on funders for their support -- which often doesn't extend to satisfying their capacity issues and directly affects implementation efficiency. Nonprofits are therefore financially challenged to grow their organization successfully while simultaneously being increasingly challenged to demonstrate objective results. <br /><br />By contrast, who in a Crowdsourced environment is ready to peer review the resourcing side of this equation; Donor giving and its efficacy? Would a peer foundation do so or would it act as doctors do, never criticizing its peers. Would the various consultancies to foundations who depend on their clients for continued work do it? Grant proposers and recipients might be best to evaluate the process they must go through with individual granters to receive funding and implement projects for them - but who among them would go on record and potentially put further funding opportunities on the line? <br /><br />There is a peculiar dynamic specific to private philanthropic institutions that does not make them beholden to stakeholders, stockholders or voters in the same way other sectors and institutional actors are responsible to an outside constituency. It's this specific dynamic that needs to be addressed for the manifesto to function well - because both the resourcing and implementation aspect of the nonprofit-philanthropic partnership must work equally well to effectively address issues.Jonathan Peizerhttp://internautconsulting.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-51611422093081319142010-03-18T08:56:04.818-07:002010-03-18T08:56:04.818-07:00Mario
Thanks for this great comment and insights i...Mario<br />Thanks for this great comment and insights into the innovation that these kinds of regulatory changes can spark. Thanks also for the concern about what happens with public data outsourced to private companies (or nonprofits). We can this scenario already happening and your questions, concerns are appropriate. ANyone from @SunFoundation know how this will be dealt with in the legislation? Is there a way for this concern to be brought to attention of @RepSteveIsrael?<br /><br />LucyLucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-70434629116635861652010-03-17T15:19:16.560-07:002010-03-17T15:19:16.560-07:00Thanks, Lucy, for bringing Rep. Israel’s legislati...Thanks, Lucy, for bringing Rep. Israel’s legislation to my attention. If the bill passes, it would certainly be a major step toward improved transparency in government. Just as important, it would give a major boost to American innovation at a time when we sorely need it. I believe it would stimulate new businesses that will mine, analyze, and package information in more effective ways for public, private and consumer use. <br /><br />For example, the Department of Defense has pioneered many aspects of telemedicine and field triage. Even though much of this does make its way into EMS teams and trauma centers, imagine the lives that could be saved if this knowledge and experience was more readily available and more broadly applied in community hospitals, by rural physicians, small town police and fire forces, and health-centric nonprofits.<br /><br />One of the areas that I hope the proposed bill covers is also to ensure that public information must stay public even if the management of the information is handled by a private contractor. I’ve seen previous transparency efforts come up short when they neglected to address this issue and the “ownership” of the information went with the outsourced arrangement. MarioMario Morinonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-83926701831019004662010-03-16T10:45:55.606-07:002010-03-16T10:45:55.606-07:00Ann
Exactly! This is a great example of how, if t...Ann<br /><br />Exactly! This is a great example of how, if the data are available, folks can work more effectively. Imagine if you could tap into data on what others in your line of work were doing, what they'd accomplished, where they'd taken a turn, what they did next....Some foundations spend a lot of time and money encouraging idea sharing and networking among their grantees. These kinds of data streams would enable that kind of F2F networking to go global, be managed by nonprofits themselves, and be done as needed. Great addition, thank you!<br /><br />LucyLucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-14927433042777039592010-03-16T10:28:52.894-07:002010-03-16T10:28:52.894-07:00Thanks for the thoughtful manifesto. I am especial...Thanks for the thoughtful manifesto. I am especially enthusiastic about #2 & #3 &#4. If grantees could learn what works and what didn't work from relevant projects, it would help improve programming and metrics for proposed projects.<br /><br />I'd also like to throw in another idea-more openness regarding later stage funding opportunities. In my experience, during the course of wholly new projects, sometimes goals change course or new information is discovered that might related to the priorities of foundations other than the original funder. Even if that doesn't happen, finding continued/additional funding sources beyond the initial round would be much easier if there were more transparency between foundations and grantees. Perhaps through shared data streams tools could be developed to track similar programming threads across organizations.Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06657210286958984874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-77655174532948872902010-03-16T08:48:13.233-07:002010-03-16T08:48:13.233-07:00Steve
Thanks for sharing this - Just learning abou...Steve<br />Thanks for sharing this - Just learning about your work and this experiment is a "modest" and helpful outcome of this post! I am thrilled to know about <a href="http://pages.e-democracy.org/Participation_3.0" rel="nofollow"></a>.<br /><br />Are you aware of this experiment from MIT and others - <a href="http://72.167.189.5/Project/index.gsp?projectID=RAHS" rel="nofollow"></a>?<br /><br />Thanks for sharing what you are doing - are there other such experiments underway that we could collect in a list? Would someone at Ford be willing to chime in here - on other ideas you've funded, heard of, are watching?<br /><br />Thanks<br /><br />LucyLucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-63990151910318591792010-03-16T08:42:47.497-07:002010-03-16T08:42:47.497-07:00Gail - thanks for voting! Are there examples of pe...Gail - thanks for voting! Are there examples of peer-review of nonprofits that you can share? Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything. GreatNonprofits is a step toward gathering relevant info, and I've been told of efforts in the Philippines and Belgium (I think). Would love to find models and examples - anyone?<br /><br />Thanks<br />LucyLucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-71091369129859598042010-03-16T06:31:42.246-07:002010-03-16T06:31:42.246-07:00Very good.
We are experimenting with an open spec...Very good.<br /><br />We are experimenting with an open specification process with our Participation 3.0 effort: http://e-democracy.org/p3<br /><br />In short, the Ford Foundation gave us modest funding to develop and open process to bring forward some of the best ideas for the next generation of local online civic engagement. We plan to engage many potential funders along the way. It will be very interesting to see to what extent potential partnering non-profits and others will engage a more public proposal development process and whether in the end multiple foundations will fund anything where the "surprise" of the big announcement is muted by prior disclosure. All I know is that we need to do things differently and this is our shot with the Ford funding to try out a new approach in this niche.Steven Clifthttp://e-democracy.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-50628807620170849442010-03-16T05:40:23.922-07:002010-03-16T05:40:23.922-07:00Hi Lucy, Terrific job! I'm voting for the prov...Hi Lucy, Terrific job! I'm voting for the provocative idea of crowd sourced, peer-reviews of tax-exempt entities. (And this is starting to happen already.) How wonderful to imagine that nonprofits could be evaluated by the community. Maybe this could finally be the carrot (or the stick) that encourages nonprofit boards to make necessary but risky decisions and start act rather than sitting around talking.Gail Perryhttp://gailperry.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-67239120275641132112010-03-15T14:47:24.997-07:002010-03-15T14:47:24.997-07:00Christine -
I've been soft floating the Freed...Christine -<br /><br />I've been soft floating the Freedom of Foundation Information Act for years - which doesn't mean it has had any traction (smile). I used to use it as a threat. Now I think its something else - an aspiration, perhaps. Whatever, it is a policy possibility that has long interested me. <br /><br />Thanks for your vote of support. Perhaps there is an Open Philanthropy movement building that can move these aspirations into practice.<br /><br />LucyLucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-23811974838773415762010-03-15T14:44:35.431-07:002010-03-15T14:44:35.431-07:00Brigid - this is interesting on several fronts. Fi...Brigid - this is interesting on several fronts. First, it recognizes that philanthropy is made up of individuals and institutions - an obvious fact that we all (myself very much included) sometimes gloss over. Second, it recognizes the power of the individual in this system - we know that individuals make up most of the money, but they might also carry far more "clout" with their info and endorsements than we've known. This is why I think the aggregate data from online giving platforms is so important - it "shows" us the long tail of giving in ways we haven't been able to before. Thanks for sharing this idea - lots to think about. <br />LucyLucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-22390026454332229862010-03-15T14:32:42.062-07:002010-03-15T14:32:42.062-07:00This is fantastic, Lucy. This is the first I'v...This is fantastic, Lucy. This is the first I've seen of a suggested "Freedom of Foundation and Nonprofit Information Act." Consider this a STRONG vote in its favor. Foundations and nonprofits will understandably be slow to embrace optional transparency. Even as the culture is shifting in that direction, I can completely get behind the logic in your #2 above. Have I been under a rock, or this is an idea that's been gaining traction for a while?<br /><br />Christine<br /><br />p.s. Kudos for taking the opportunity to 'fail informatively' re: hitting the publish button early :)<br /><br />p.p.s. I've been learning alot from Brigid Slipka (@actuallygiving, actuallygiving.com) lately. Two thumbs up to the idea of considering personal versions of this manifesto, or weaving elements of the personal into the one drafted here.Christine Eggerhttp://www.socialactions.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-27697042478418795902010-03-15T13:53:06.462-07:002010-03-15T13:53:06.462-07:00This is a different angle, but when it comes to op...This is a different angle, but when it comes to openness and transparency in philanthropy one element I rarely see is those of us in philanthropy speaking about our own personal giving. (Recent exception is Martin Brookes at New Philanthropy Capital). <br /><br />I can attest that doing so makes one feel extremely vulnerable, but putting a personal stake in the conversation actually then encourages more of the traditional elements of openness you mention here: data-sharing, idea-exchange, group discussion of strategy.Brigid Slipkahttp://www.actuallygiving.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-40633185574936647392010-03-15T13:24:37.267-07:002010-03-15T13:24:37.267-07:00Thanks Larry - your "vote" reminded me t...Thanks Larry - your "vote" reminded me to note that additions, clarifications, votes for the ideas in the manifesto are more than welcome. A real public discussion of what makes better philanthropy would be a fabulous outcome of this "modest manifesto." Thanks!Lucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-24701400412845977052010-03-15T13:18:21.340-07:002010-03-15T13:18:21.340-07:00Great stuff, Lucy. Thanks for putting this out the...Great stuff, Lucy. Thanks for putting this out there. I just want to add another vote for, "Use of external expertise for developing and assessing giving strategies." I would love to see more foundations open up the grantmaking process to broader expertise and crowdsourcing, when appropriate.Larry Blumenthalhttp://www.openroadadvisors.comnoreply@blogger.com