Nina Vafea and Corina Fung on bottom-up evaluation

In my 6+ months being at ImpactEd Group I've had the opportunity of working with amazing organisations who are interested in evaluating their impact. My colleague, Nina Vafea, and I wrote this piece for The Charity Evaluation Working Group ( ChEW) , talking about how a bottom-up approach to evaluation can ensure evaluations are both relevant and practical. We talked about our experiences working with SHiFT and Southwark SAFE Taskforce, two incredible orgs that you should definitely check out!

The Best Start Family Hubs roll out provides an opportunity to expand access to vital family services in the early years, but its impact on children will crucially depend on where the new hubs are located. 👉 Here's a new piece of data analysis with Lizzie Ingram Seth Caldwell and Cara Sanquest, which maps the current provision across England and pinpoints the communities most at risk of being left behind. https://lnkd.in/e86udsrr

Lean teams, rising expectations, and a shifting donor landscape? UK family foundations are navigating more complexity than ever. Our latest blog explores the unique challenges they face and how smarter systems and impact-driven strategies are helping them evolve. 📖 Read the blog below.

Missed our Donor Lifetime Value webinar? Access the full recording and slides: https://ccsfnd.co/4ghitUl Highlights from the discussion include: • Applying predictive models to identify new major gift prospects • Using Donor Lifetime Value to inform stewardship strategies in a changing environment • Directing resources toward acquisition methods that generate the greatest long-term impact #FundraisingInsights #DonorLifetimeValue #DataDrivenPhilanthropy Greg Hagin, Ashutosh Nandeshwar, Ph.D., Peter Fader

Philanthropy is most powerful when it applies the same rigor we use in product development: measure outcomes, iterate on solutions, and scale what works. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Annual Report highlights $3.7B in giving this year and $21.1B in lifetime impact across public health, education, climate, arts, and more. It’s a blueprint for data-driven giving and a reminder that bold ideas backed by evidence drive real change. https://lnkd.in/gfziBP3i

🚨 Just released: The 2025 Association Community Benchmark Report 🚨 We analyzed anonymized data from ~1,500 associations and non-profits to uncover how online communities are performing today. 2 findings that stood out: 📌 Community engagement is holding steady year over year, even as AI reshapes how people find information. 📌 Community digests see 44–56% open rates, outperforming the 36% benchmark for email, proving that member-driven content is uniquely engaging. As AI reshapes how people discover information, one thing is clear: association communities remain resilient, relevant, and valuable. 👉 Download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gZbjmQN4 #Associations #NonprofitLeadership #OnlineCommunity #MemberEngagement #AIImpact

I won't be able to available to join this webinar, but encourage others to check it out and read their compelling article that deeply resonates with struggles I see nonprofits face with RCTs -- and I'd add even other expensive evaluation designs that may not be well-suited for many nonprofit program designs. They also offer helpful recommendations for meaningful evaluation with a focus on improvement. "In an improvement orientation, data are not inert final verdicts but constant conversation starters. And, yes, nonprofits may still invite outside researchers to run rigorous experiments in certain circumstances—especially in well-established programs aiming to expand significantly. But RCTs shouldn’t be the default for every question. Nonprofits are in the business of solving tough social problems, and true innovation requires staying nimble, seeking fresh insights, and being willing to shift direction—even in midstream—based on emergent information. RCTs can illuminate whether a program strategy has definite impact, and this can be useful. But in many situations, such end-of-the-line proof will be far less valuable to nonprofits than a constant loop of learning." Read: https://lnkd.in/gydJp-z4

🚨 7 out of 10 grant proposals fail, not because the cause is weak, but because the proposal is poorly packaged. -- Here’s what donors look for (and where many NGOs fall short): ✅ A problem statement that makes them feel the urgency ✅ A methodology that shows exactly how you’ll deliver ✅ A budget that aligns with your story, line by line ✅ Logframes that connect activities to real impact ✅ M&E that proves accountability Without these, even great projects die in inboxes. -- ⚡ Donors don’t just fund passion. They fund clarity + accountability. 📩 Let’s make your next proposal donor-ready.

Reduced international aid is creating new partnership pressures. Nearly 1 in 3 non-profits report a negative impact from official development assistance (ODA) cuts. The response? A rise in collaborative investment - where corporate-non-profit partnerships are stepping in to fill gaps. 🌐 In a changing funding landscape, partnerships are more than helpful - they’re essential. More in the 2025 Barometer: https://lnkd.in/dzgC5MR Manny Amadi Third Sector Marketing Week Ruth Davison Chloe Meredith

Last month's early survey results by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond highlighted two key challenges expressed by CDFIs. These were: inadequate staffing to meet demand and access to funds available to lend. Normally, when you don't have enough staff to keep up with the work, and more need for your product than you have the resources to fulfill its a signal that you have a good business model. When your work is being a CDFI, it means that our financial services system no longer really serves the average consumer or small business. The survey highlights a problem that impacts all Americans. Money impacts the lives of everyone your organization serves, whether you are a hospital, traditional bank, social service, Fortune 500 company, or anything in between. Even if you aren't in financial services work, find ways to include CDFIs as partners. Thriving CDFIs create thriving communities, but let's not stop there. In our current environment, everyone is a stakeholder in creating healthier neighborhoods. The challenges faced by CDFIs are an opportunity for all of us to step up as partners. Interested in talking about how to strengthen your CDFI's infrastructure and messaging, or exploring ways your organization could partner with CDFIs? We would love to hear from you. Contact us: https://lnkd.in/eJDBRFiX