Assessment and Renewal
Effective assessment begins by looking inward. While many foundations understandably spend a lot of time finding ways to assess the impact of their grantmaking, it’s also vitally important to take stock of their internal governance and operations.
This section provides additional reading and guidance on assessment and board renewal in your family foundation. For a wide variety of additional resources on this topic, visit NCFP’s Family Philanthropy Online Knowledge Center.
READ: Measuring What Counts: Meaningful Evaluation for Family Foundations
Formal evaluation can be very expensive. Many family foundations believe they lack the resources to evaluate the work they support. A question for all funders is: how do we assess impact in cost-effective ways? If formal evaluation is not the answer, or not the whole answer, what are our alternatives?
READ: The Power of Taking Stock – 5 Reasons to Conduct Evaluations
Many foundations grossly underestimate the importance of evaluating impact. Here are five reasons why foundations should regularly conduct evaluations.
READ: Board Member Self Assessment (Siragusa Foundation)
In a continuing effort to evaluate and enhance the work of the Siragusa Foundation’s board of directors and the foundation, Siragusa board members are asked to assess their experience and make suggestions for the future every two years via the attached form.
READ: Thinking Differently About Assessment
This blog post by long-time foundation CEO David Grant, author of The Social Profit Handbook, emphasizes the purpose behind putting effort into creating a good assessment system; it’s not about the assessment itself – it’s about the social benefits such a system can help bring about.
READ: Five Questions for Effectiveness
Surveys conducted by NCFP have concluded that most family foundations are conscientious guardians of charitable legacies. They observe high ethical standards of grantmaking practices, including fiscal oversight and accountability. Are you among them? Take this quick quiz, punctuated with questions from NCFP’s Pursuit of Excellence Board Self-assessment, for a quick look at how your family compares!