Update: Philanthropy and Nonprofit Community of Practice
Representatives of Colorado’s philanthropic and nonprofit communities have met monthly since last October, working collaboratively to create a shared understanding of evaluation across the sector. The aim is to move the sector away from viewing evaluation as compliance and control to a place of trust and collaboration for mutual learning. Through trusting partnerships, nonprofits, funders, and those they serve can collaborate to use numbers and narratives to accelerate results.
The Colorado Partners in Evaluation (CO-PIE) community of practice was convened by the Colorado Lab in partnership with Philanthropy Colorado and ResultsLab. The effort is rooted in Colorado’s commitment to evidence-based decision making. The Colorado Lab serves as the state’s Evidence-Based Decision Making Hub.
In this spring’s CO-PIE meetings, foundation and nonprofit participants shared prior beliefs (“I used to think…”) and how their perspectives have changed through dialogue with the other sector in the community of practice (“Now I think…”).
- I used to think: Funders need to streamline and ask for less evaluation
Now I think: We can be equal partners in determining useful data collection
- I used to think: Nonprofit organizations may not benefit from a deeper understanding about the “inner workings” of foundations
Now I think: It is clear they can; hopefully, knowing more will provide insights as to why things work the way they do
- I used to think: I was alone in my questions and worries around data collection
Now I think: I have a community of like-minded people who I can consult with, and I feel more hopeful about the future of data collection
The group has identified several working hypotheses to address challenges and leverage opportunities for more meaningfully using data in the sector. Over the next several months, CO-PIE members will conduct small tests on these hypotheses and capture promising learnings. To learn more, please contact Dr. Kristin Klopfenstein.
