How to talk about grant performance
- 1. 1 How to Talk About Grant Performance Results Based Management for Foundation Board Members
- 2. The Purpose of This Document This is a primer for board members of private to participate in organizational learning and promote better results funded by the organization. It is the fiduciary responsibility of every ensure the organization’s funds are well spent. Thi Results Based Management (RBM) foster an environment of trust. In such an environment, the sharing of lessons learned from project successes in addition to strategies and more efficient use of What is Results Based Management An astounding 99,000 people die annually from hospitals in the United States.1 Whether our focus is people or the planet, the issues are dire and measuring results and investing in successes is imperative if w management practices, we can start investment in programs that deliver results Management (RBM). RBM is an approach, currently in use by a growing number of nonprofit organizations, that ensures through adaptation are all linked Grantees check on their progress and results against objectives also does a check; program staff r has been learned. 1 “Preventable Hospital Infections Kill 99,000 Every Year” News 2 Conservation International Website http://getinvolved.conservation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=stoptheclock The Purpose of This Document This is a primer for board members of private foundations, to help guide thinking on how in organizational learning and promote better results in the projects funded by the organization. It is the fiduciary responsibility of every board member to ensure the organization’s funds are well spent. This guide will provide an overview of (RBM), as well as questions to ask of program staff that help foster an environment of trust. In such an environment, the sharing of lessons learned successes in addition to setbacks and failures promotes more effective strategies and more efficient use of foundation funds. Results Based Management An astounding 99,000 people die annually from preventable infections contracted in 1 Every 20 minutes, one species is pushed to extinction. Whether our focus is people or the planet, the issues are dire and measuring results and investing in successes is imperative if we want to achieve our mission. Through better we can start on a pathway of ensuring learning and investment in programs that deliver results. One approach is Results Based approach, currently in use by a growing number of Foundations ensures project plans, actions, measurements are all linked. Below is a diagram of the full Results Based Management cycle. First a plan is made. This plan is most often expressed in the proposal process that your Foundation undertakes with a potential grantee. Then the plan is carried out. Grantees implement the processes according to plan they made, that includes milestones and objectives. check on their progress. Grantees monitor and evaluate the processes and results against objectives stated in their proposal. At this point, your also does a check; program staff reviews and analyzes results, and identif “Preventable Hospital Infections Kill 99,000 Every Year” News Inferno 5/28/10. http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/20733 Conservation International Website http://getinvolved.conservation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=stoptheclock 2 , to help guide thinking on how in the projects oard member to s guide will provide an overview of , as well as questions to ask of program staff that help foster an environment of trust. In such an environment, the sharing of lessons learned and failures promotes more effective contracted in Every 20 minutes, one species is pushed to extinction.2 Whether our focus is people or the planet, the issues are dire and measuring results and Through better on a pathway of ensuring learning and Results Based Foundations and ments and learning Results Based This plan is most often expressed in the proposal process that your undertakes with a potential Grantees according to the that includes clear the processes At this point, your foundation and identifies what 5/28/10. http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/20733
- 3. 3 Lastly, everyone adapts. Foundation program staff and grantees both take action based on what was learned in the check step. All parties work together to develop modifications to improve the process, or incorporate what worked well into more wide spread goals. What Results Based Management Means for a Board Member At first RBM sounds like something everyone does. However, a recent study of leading conservation organizations shows that only 5% of conservation projects complete the full RBM cycle.3 This figure is probably pretty similar across the nonprofit sector. It seems doubtful, but, as a board member, when was the last time you heard a presentation that included thoughts on adapting a grant strategy based on evaluations that took place during the grant period? When was the last time you heard a presentation on lessons learned from mistakes? As a Board member you have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure the organization’s funds are well spent. To many board members this means reviewing expenses and contracts. Maybe you rely upon a finance committee or human resource team to test for ethical behavior. However, in addition to those activities you should be more engaged with the program officers at your foundation and grantees. The best board members realize that it is their role to understand the impact of the organization’s investment in its work on the ground. The accountability involved in funding programs that have impact is just as important as documenting expenses. Good Questions to Ask at the Next Board Meeting Once you have decided that it is important to understand how the Foundation is learning and adapting based on reviewing successes and failures, here are some questions you might consider asking at the next board meeting: • What was the biggest programmatic success last year? How do you know that? How does that impact compare to your goal? How much did it cost to achieve that goal? • What was the biggest programmatic disappoint last year? What went wrong? How have those lessons been documented and incorporated into next steps? • How do the impacts this year compare to last year? To what do you attribute those differences? • If you could do one thing over again next year, what would it be? • What are some of the biggest obstacles to sharing failures internally? 3 “Performance Measurement in the Conservation Community”, Elizabeth O’Neill and Matt Muir on behalf of the Measuring Conservation Effectiveness Summit Research Committee RBM is not about finding mistakes, but uncovering lessons that can transform organizational impact
- 4. 4 • What are some of the biggest obstacles to replicating successes? • As a board member, how can I support an approach at the foundation that has a clear method for evaluation and adaptation? How You Can Help Improve Nonprofit Governance The first way you can help is by improving the organizations where you are a board member. Help foster a culture of inquiry that analyzes what drives success and helps it to be replicated. Additionally, create an environment of trust in which staff can share the lessons from their failures without the fear of being labeled a failure (or losing their job). Secondly, share the impact of incorporating RBM with your peers that are on boards at other organizations. Making RBM the best practice in grant performance management will mean a more effective dialogue among organizations with common missions. Finally, recognize that, through your work as a board member, you are in the position to insist on more complete information and analysis of the projects the foundation supports. Through your advocacy for more systematic performance measurement, the charitable mission that you support with your service will have a better chance at success. About the Authors Samantha Campbell – President of the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment Daniel Hayden – Senior Director of Global Programs, Rare An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage. Jack Welch