Tag Archives: impact

Lessons during the decade since the Asian tsunami

Posted on November 26, 2014 by carolinefiennes

This article first appeared in Third Sector. It’s 10 years this December since the Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami. We salute those who died, those who mourn, those who tended; and we celebrate those who’ve since sought to improve response … Continue reading →

Posted in Impact & evaluation | Tagged cochrane, counterfactual, Disaster, effectiveness, Evidence Aid, impact, randomised control trial, randomized control trial | Leave a comment

Are we relying on unreliable research?

Posted on February 4, 2014 by carolinefiennes

“Ask an important question and answer it reliably” is a fundamental tenet of clinical research. And you’d hope so: you’d hope that medics don’t waste time on questions that don’t matter or which have been answered already, and you’d hope … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged charity, corporate philanthropy, effectiveness, evaluation, impact, impact assessment, monitoring, philanthropy, research quality | 5 Comments

Assessing impact needs a reliable comparison group

Posted on January 29, 2014 by carolinefiennes

This letter discusses an article in Stanford Social Innovation Review and was first published there. “Dressed to Thrive” [in Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter, 2013] describes the work of Fitted For Work (FFW) in helping women into work. By way … Continue reading →

Posted in Impact & evaluation | Tagged charity, comparison, control, counterfactual, effectiveness, impact, randomised control trial, randomized control trial | 1 Comment

It’s hard to make evidence-driven decisions if loads of data are missing, or garbage

Posted on November 13, 2013 by carolinefiennes

First, missing data. Philanthropic donors, operational charities and others often have to deal with this. Hence unearthing the missing data is a theme in Giving Evidence’s work: Massive emergency aid is now flowing to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. Operational … Continue reading →

Posted in Impact & evaluation | Tagged data, evaluation, impact, monitoring, publication, publication bias | 2 Comments

Why ‘What’s Our Impact?’ is the Wrong Question

Posted on January 17, 2013 by carolinefiennes

This article was first published by the Skoll World Forum and the Society of Impact Assessment Analysts Since there are so many ways that charities and funders can use their finite resources, they must make choices: choices between competing goals (reduce … Continue reading →

Posted in Effective giving, Impact & evaluation | Tagged charity, comparison, effective, effective giving, effectiveness, impact, impact assessment, philanthropy | 4 Comments

Why I’m delighted to join the advisory panel of Charity Navigator

Posted on December 11, 2012 by carolinefiennes

Charity Navigator is the world’s largest charity ‘ratings agency’, providing online ratings of 6,000 US-based charities which are used by over 3million donors each year. It’s also the sole organisation slagged off in my book about how donors can best … Continue reading →

Posted in Admin costs, Great charities, Impact & evaluation | Tagged analysis, beneficiary, charity, Charity Navigator, effectiveness, feedback, impact, impact assessment | Leave a comment

Development Controversies Are A Sign of Sophistication

Posted on August 9, 2012 by carolinefiennes

This article, written with Professor Dean Karlan of Yale University, appeared in Stanford Social Innovation Review. Public debate about two prominent poverty-alleviation programs shows that over the past 15 years international development has become much more scientific. The international development … Continue reading →

Posted in Impact & evaluation | Tagged aid, charity, cochrane, development, deworming, effectiveness, giving, impact, impact assessment, international development, philanthropy, science, worms | 2 Comments

Faster, higher, stronger: Olympic lessons for philanthropy

Posted on July 30, 2012 by carolinefiennes

This article first appeared in Alliance Magazine. Coming from ancient Greece, even the word ‘philanthropy’ hints at similarities with the Olympic Games. And there is much which philanthropists, donors, charities and those of us who support and guide them can … Continue reading →

Posted in Donor behaviour & giving stats, Effective giving | Tagged charity, corporate philanthropy, effectiveness, group philanthropy, impact, olympics, philanthropy | Leave a comment

How foundations discourage charity mergers

Posted on June 11, 2012 by carolinefiennes

This article first appeared in Third Sector magazine. Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (a large UK grant-making foundation) has launched a fund to encourage mergers. It’s ironic, because Esmee’s own rules penalise them Fairness, presumably, is behind the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation’s rule that it … Continue reading →

Posted in Mergers | Tagged charity, consolidation, donation, esmee fairbairn foundation, foundation, fragment, fragmentation, giving, grant, grant guidelines, impact, merge, merger, philanthropy, polden puckham charitable trust, unintended consequence | 3 Comments

The giving tax: what do we actually know?

Posted on May 1, 2012 by carolinefiennes

In the current row about charities and tax, it’s worth being clear about what is known and what isn’t. Here’s the relevant evidence we’ve encountered. Income Total income of UK charities £37bn Source:NCVO Almanac Income of UK charities from individuals … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax and governance, Uncategorized | Tagged charity, donation, donor, evidence, giveitbackgeorge, giving, impact, philanthropist, philanthropy, tax, tax relief | 1 Comment