Comments on: Nancy Roob & Clara Miller http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/nancy-roob-clara-miller Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:10:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Nancy Roob http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/nancy-roob-clara-miller#comment-251 Nancy Roob Fri, 18 May 2007 17:59:01 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/10/nancy-roob-clara-miller/#comment-251 Thanks for the kind words, Sean. Over the past four years, we’ve helped Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) set the groundwork to scale their operations so they can reach a significant portion of the 650,000 families in need of their services every year. What we’ve learned so far is that effective programs like NFP can be sustainable at a larger scale, but it takes significant upfront resources to build the necessary infrastructure before organizations can grow with quality. So here at EMCF we are exploring new ways to capitalize (“fund” if you will) an organization’s growth plans before they set out to expand. That way organizations like NFP can focus their energies on building and maintaining quality, rather than being distracted by chasing dollars to fund each step. You’re right - its going to take more than just foundations in this effort. We see the emerging generation of new philanthropists as an important - if not critical - partner in our work to help organizations with proven services reach greater numbers of youth. This is an area of great interest to us, and we’d love to continue the discussion with you and your readers. Thanks for the kind words, Sean. Over the past four years, we’ve helped Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) set the groundwork to scale their operations so they can reach a significant portion of the 650,000 families in need of their services every year.

What we’ve learned so far is that effective programs like NFP can be sustainable at a larger scale, but it takes significant upfront resources to build the necessary infrastructure before organizations can grow with quality. So here at EMCF we are exploring new ways to capitalize (“fund” if you will) an organization’s growth plans before they set out to expand. That way organizations like NFP can focus their energies on building and maintaining quality, rather than being distracted by chasing dollars to fund each step.

You’re right - its going to take more than just foundations in this effort. We see the emerging generation of new philanthropists as an important - if not critical - partner in our work to help organizations with proven services reach greater numbers of youth.

This is an area of great interest to us, and we’d love to continue the discussion with you and your readers.

]]> By: Bruce Trachtenberg http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/nancy-roob-clara-miller#comment-250 Bruce Trachtenberg Tue, 15 May 2007 17:06:15 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/10/nancy-roob-clara-miller/#comment-250 Organizations have to demonstrate impact by developing and implementing the capacity to collect data and measure progress toward outcomes. Foundations need to develop and employ systems for finding high performing nonprofits and investing in requisite due diligence to learn all they can about a potential grantee as well as how best to invest in that organization, and against specific outcomes. Organizations have to demonstrate impact by developing and implementing the capacity to collect data and measure progress toward outcomes. Foundations need to develop and employ systems for finding high performing nonprofits and investing in requisite due diligence to learn all they can about a potential grantee as well as how best to invest in that organization, and against specific outcomes.

]]> By: Sean Stannard-Stockton http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/nancy-roob-clara-miller#comment-249 Sean Stannard-Stockton Tue, 15 May 2007 15:34:11 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/10/nancy-roob-clara-miller/#comment-249 Yes. And so the question becomes how do we discover organizations like NFP and how do we demonstrate their impact. NetSquared and RWJF Disruption Innovations both seem to be intriguing ways to go about the process. Yes. And so the question becomes how do we discover organizations like NFP and how do we demonstrate their impact. NetSquared and RWJF Disruption Innovations both seem to be intriguing ways to go about the process.

]]> By: Bruce Trachtenberg http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/nancy-roob-clara-miller#comment-248 Bruce Trachtenberg Sat, 12 May 2007 16:34:44 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2007/05/10/nancy-roob-clara-miller/#comment-248 Seems to me there are similarities in your description of the EMCF approach with one of your earlier posts about how philanthropy <i>should</i> be practiced: "The single most important thing is figuring out what works...where and how can I reduce social problems or enhance social programs...and just focus on whether something works." That's the point of taking organizations like NFP to scale. Seems to me there are similarities in your description of the EMCF approach with one of your earlier posts about how philanthropy should be practiced: “The single most important thing is figuring out what works…where and how can I reduce social problems or enhance social programs…and just focus on whether something works.” That’s the point of taking organizations like NFP to scale.

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