Comments on: Building Market Institutions for Philanthropy http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:19:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Sean Stannard-Stockton http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy/comment-page-1#comment-4015 Sean Stannard-Stockton Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:41:10 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy#comment-4015 Thanks Paul. I've highlighted Smart Givers in the past. While we'd all like to see every nonprofit analyzed, it is important to note that only a relatively small fraction of publicly traded stocks actually have research coverage. Almost all of the large companies do, but with smaller companies it is more limited. And yet we have a fully functioning marketplace. I think if we could produce high quality research on just the largest 500 nonprofits, we'd make a huge leap forward. Thanks Paul. I’ve highlighted Smart Givers in the past. While we’d all like to see every nonprofit analyzed, it is important to note that only a relatively small fraction of publicly traded stocks actually have research coverage. Almost all of the large companies do, but with smaller companies it is more limited. And yet we have a fully functioning marketplace.

I think if we could produce high quality research on just the largest 500 nonprofits, we’d make a huge leap forward.

]]> By: Paul Verrette http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy/comment-page-1#comment-4001 Paul Verrette Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:15:02 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy#comment-4001 This and the associated posts are a great discussion. Here at the Charities Review Council we embarked on the use of a new on-line review called the Accountability Wizard. It allowed us to review more nonprofits and to help them meet our standards. We are no longer a standard watchdog in many ways. This has helped us to meet our mission to : "Mobilize informed donors and accountable nonprofits for the greater good." It has helped by providing more information to donors. It is a voluntary system and requires the nonprofit to participate rather than just re-organizing 990 data. Since the launch in 12/05 we completed reviews of more than 350 organizations. While we still do not have the number of reviews that we would like, it keeps growing. The organizations that sign up for reviews are proof that transparency is front and center these days. There are occasionally organizations that cite a lack of time for participating but are happy to learn it is an easy process once started. The lack of administrative resources in nonprofits is definitely linked to transparency in some way. I also occasionally run across "selective transparency." I consider this to be when the decision to be transparent is made to be when the nonprofit is on a better footing in some way. I think this sort of transparency is on the decline. The organizations volunteering for Accountability Wizard reviews value transparency in a very encouraging way. We have much more we would like to do, especially in the area of helping donors to learn more about outcomes and the activities of nonprofits to achieve them. This and the associated posts are a great discussion. Here at the Charities Review Council we embarked on the use of a new on-line review called the Accountability Wizard. It allowed us to review more nonprofits and to help them meet our standards. We are no longer a standard watchdog in many ways. This has helped us to meet our mission to : “Mobilize informed donors and accountable nonprofits for the greater good.” It has helped by providing more information to donors.

It is a voluntary system and requires the nonprofit to participate rather than just re-organizing 990 data. Since the launch in 12/05 we completed reviews of more than 350 organizations.

While we still do not have the number of reviews that we would like, it keeps growing. The organizations that sign up for reviews are proof that transparency is front and center these days. There are occasionally organizations that cite a lack of time for participating but are happy to learn it is an easy process once started. The lack of administrative resources in nonprofits is definitely linked to transparency in some way. I also occasionally run across “selective transparency.” I consider this to be when the decision to be transparent is made to be when the nonprofit is on a better footing in some way. I think this sort of transparency is on the decline. The organizations volunteering for Accountability Wizard reviews value transparency in a very encouraging way.

We have much more we would like to do, especially in the area of helping donors to learn more about outcomes and the activities of nonprofits to achieve them.

]]> By: Sean Stannard-Stockton http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy/comment-page-1#comment-3984 Sean Stannard-Stockton Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:15:12 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy#comment-3984 You know Perla, I think of information sharing in philanthropy as only a small part of what I've written about. But recently I've been invited to speak at two conferences about my views on information sharing. I think information sharing might end up being one of the more important elements that define 21st century philanthropy. You're on the cutting edge with Great Nonprofits! You know Perla, I think of information sharing in philanthropy as only a small part of what I’ve written about. But recently I’ve been invited to speak at two conferences about my views on information sharing. I think information sharing might end up being one of the more important elements that define 21st century philanthropy. You’re on the cutting edge with Great Nonprofits!

]]> By: Perla Ni http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy/comment-page-1#comment-3983 Perla Ni Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:03:40 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy#comment-3983 Sean, I couldn't agree with you more on the sharing of information. I often wish that foundations could - with the nonprofits' permission - share some of the vast amount of information they collect from nonprofits. They realize that their funding is limited and so should have a vested interest in seeing that the information they collect - at least some of it - is leveraged to help nonprofits attract other sources of support. Perla Ni Founder, www.GreatNonprofits.org Sean,
I couldn’t agree with you more on the sharing of information. I often wish that foundations could - with the nonprofits’ permission - share some of the vast amount of information they collect from nonprofits. They realize that their funding is limited and so should have a vested interest in seeing that the information they collect - at least some of it - is leveraged to help nonprofits attract other sources of support.

Perla Ni
Founder, http://www.GreatNonprofits.org

]]> By: Lucy Bernholz http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy/comment-page-1#comment-3977 Lucy Bernholz Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:59:41 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/08/building-market-institutions-for-philanthropy#comment-3977 Sean This topic is all the rage all of a sudden - see RPA's linkages newsletter and the posts at Philanthropy2173 on "data, data" everywhere. Just want to invite you and your readers to join the online discussion group that formed to talk through these issues of data standards, openness, ownership et al in the social capital markets. Discussion group is here http://groups.google.com/group/soc-cap-data Thanks Lucy Sean
This topic is all the rage all of a sudden - see RPA’s linkages newsletter and the posts at Philanthropy2173 on “data, data” everywhere. Just want to invite you and your readers to join the online discussion group that formed to talk through these issues of data standards, openness, ownership et al in the social capital markets. Discussion group is here
http://groups.google.com/group/soc-cap-data
Thanks
Lucy

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