Aligning Evaluation and Strategy with the Mission of a Community-Focused Foundation
The Foundation Review, 2018
Posted: 20 May 2020
Date Written: April 30, 2018
Abstract
This article retraces the steps taken by an Italian foundation committed to improving its system of evaluation and social reporting. This has been done by taking a close look at the newly designed strategy of the foundation, as the theoretical and empirical literature suggests. The importance of a sound fit between evaluation and strategy in the philanthropic sector is highlighted in Porter and Kramer (1999) and, more specifically, in Patton and Patrizi (2010). Coffman, Beer, Patrizi, and Heid Thompson (2013) underline the profound shift in how, in practice, evaluation is positioned in foundations, with a much closer connection to programming and strategy. In the case examined, these elements have been aligned by focusing on three strategic pillars:
(1) a long-term perspective,
(2) an integrated approach to the project portfolio, and
(3) a local focus for the philanthropic action.
The proposed evaluation framework can provide good guidance for place-based foundations engaged in various fields of activity to promote sustainable community development.
Keywords: Community-Based Foundations, Evaluation, Reporting, Strategic Positioning, Planning, Sustainable Development, Foundations of Banking Origin, Community Foundations, Italian Foundations
JEL Classification: O35, O20
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation