CivicActions

I just received my first copy of the quarterly Stanford Social Innovation Review, flipped through it and read an amazing case study called "Taking Stock of Venture Philanthropy". It was such a great article that I instantly thought that I should get a subscription for all of our clients. Kudos to Steven Lafrance & Nancy Latham, of Lafrance Associates, for effectively capturing and presenting some extremely valuable insights around best practices for non profit management.

A few excerpts that really hit home:
Carol Welsh Gray...launched a regional school reform effort founded on five venture capital practices: (1) Invest in a business plan that the grantee organizations' leaders strongly support; (2) enlist a management partner with a sharp focus on results; (3) establish metrics, milestones, and quarterly accoutability process; (4) solicit the perspectives of multiple experts; and (5) define success and exit strategies at the onset.

...metrics for the feild of environmental education were wanting. So Gray partnered with other funders to launch the Bay Area Environmental Education Evaluation collaborative....They agreed upon short-term, intermediate, and long-term objectives and corresponding indicators. Once the organizations established consistent, evidence-based standards and goals, their performance improved.

Unfortunately, you'll need to subscribe to see the entire article at the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

For some other good writing on the subject, check out the following reports on the Lafrance website: LFA’s study on the organizational capacities that are critical for successfully scaling social impact; LFA’s four-year assessment of the Environmental Solutions Forum (ESF).