Now that we are half way through the semester, I thought I would post some thoughts and see what others are thinking. The major objective for our class (PAFF 552) is to define accountability and performance for the non-profit sector. We have had many discussions that lead us to think one way or another. But to this point...it's hard to say I would think. It is amazing how a simple question like this is so complex. Perhaps this is why there is an entire class dedicated to "issues" in non-profit management.
Our first few weeks with dealing with social media and networking have been extremely helpful as well. It only fortified my beliefs that many non-profits, especially locally do not have the capacity to be effective in the social media world. This is something we as students have to bring to the table as we enter the workforce and progress through our careers. Soon, newspapers may be obsolete, along with magazines and even radio adds.
But we still need to ask, what is accountability and how do we measure performance? Who is held accountable in these organizations? Donors? Management? Clients? Board members? Each party can still be argued for equally in my mind. Do large amounts of clients served equal high performance? I'm very curious to hear and read some of your thoughts on what we have studied thus far this semester. What are your biggest take-aways? What do you still want to know?
Matt,
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question about our biggest takeaway or what we still want to know, I continue to be perplexed by the question of whether or not, and how, results can be realistically measured by nonprofits. I like that the Ebrahim article suggested breaking up the nonprofit sector into four quadrants based on their theory of change and work, but even the authors admit that not all nonprofits will fit neatly into these quadrants. While I have been convinced that nonprofit evaluation is critical, and that it cannot be done soley by numbers - cost per service, citizens served, etc., I am still wondering what system or approach can effectively evaluate nonprofits that approach a variety of social issues in varying ways.
Thank you for the response Kristen, maybe our Charity Navigator project will shed at least some light on your questions. Although no system is perfect, CN claims to be a step in the right direction in evaluation and effectiveness of a non-profit. Time will tell!
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