August 2008 enewsletter

Piper Staff Note

Improving performance involves every person in an organization. It makes sense, then, that measuring effectiveness also is everyone's job. As Piper Trust has matured, we have found that evaluation is not simply the formal process conducted by the evaluation staff but an integrated element in all that each staff person does. It is a process of evaluating the Trust's effectiveness as well as that of our grants. Evaluation requires us to ask the question: What does each of us do to strengthen nonprofits? In this newsletter, you will find results from the Center for Effective Philanthropy grantee perception report. We also have a link to a new Measuring Effectiveness section on our website. As always, keep in touch.

Measuring Effectiveness

Measuring Piper's effectiveness
Measuring effectiveness starts at home — first, in setting an internal culture of rewarding continuous evaluation and, second, in developing processes to turn insights into actions. In spring 2008, Piper Trust asked current and past grantees to take part in a second perception survey on the work of the Trust (the first was in 2004). The Center for Effective Philanthropy completed the survey, analysis and report. To communicate as clearly and directly with our nonprofit partners as possible, we have posted the results here.

Read a letter from
Judy Jolley Mohraz, Ph.D.…

Download Piper's 2008
Grantee Perception Report…

A New Leaf climate survey helps bring change
It’s human nature to seek evaluation when things are going well. Affirmation makes us feel good after all. To use evaluation as a tool for improvement, though, we must take our measure during a routine time or even when things are tough going. Read more…

Evaluation Resources

Resources for methods in evaluation and social research
The Global Social Change Research Project

Links to assessment and evaluation resources
Purdue University College of Education Assessment Council

The Evaluation Center
Western Michigan University

Evaluation Portal Link Collection

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Piper Trust News

Strategic Philanthropy
The term "strategic philanthropy" recognizes that a foundation has many roles — from investing in nonprofit organizations to helping nonprofits and nonprofit leaders move to new levels of effectiveness to shaping community conversation by convening partners to foster constructive change. Read Piper Trust's brochure "Strategic Philanthropy" and learn more about the Trust's approach, focus areas and special initiatives.

Read "Strategic Philanthropy"
brochure online…

Piper Academy announcement
Chip Heath, co-author of the best selling book Made to Stick and professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, will present a Piper Academy on October 28, 2008. The upcoming Academy will discuss "how to change things when change is hard." The program will be open to a limited number of nonprofit executive directors. Stay tuned for more information.

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Grantee Highlights

Chrysalis' new donation
center at 4747 N Central
Ave in Phoenix

Chrysalis to open new centrally located donation center September 2
Chrysalis, August, 2008
With over 25 years of continual growth, Chrysalis locations now stretch across the Valley making a centralized donation location a necessity and an invaluable safety precaution. Chrysalis will open a new donation center…
Read more…

Connie Phillips

Domestic Violence CEO and Piper Fellow returns as advocate
Sojourner Center, July 15, 2008
After a seven-week sabbatical that included studying both at Harvard Business School and the Lance Secretan training program, Connie Phillips, executive director of Sojourner Center, the nation’s largest domestic violence shelter… Read more…

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In the Media

Some nonprofits push for increased federal involvement
The Washington Post, August 18, 2008
In the world of philanthropy, where independence from government has long been sacred, a revolution is underway. Social entrepreneurs are clamoring for a realignment of the way the federal government… Read more…

Raising the donation bar is one way charities can keep up the pace in hard economic times

U.S. charities fine-tune hunt for donations
sacbee.com, August 8, 2008
U.S. charities, which took in a reported $306 billion last year, hope that new strategies for finding and pressing donors will help them keep up the pace in hard economic times.
Read more…

MBAs lift nonprofit sector
The Financial Times, July 28, 2008
When discussing the social sector, Bill Drayton, founder and chief executive of Ashoka, a nonprofit organization that promotes social entrepreneurs, remembers the sector 25 years ago. Read more…

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Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
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