Blog Posts: Effective Philanthropy

Posted September 9, 2019 by Al Mueller 2 comments

The best charity evaluation platform just got better, deeper, simpler, and automated. But what’s really changed? Starting in September 2019, subscribers now have 5 NEW FEATURES:

• New Member Dashboard to track the latest updates on your favorite Nonprofits
• Automated notifications when your Favorite Nonprofits have new performance data
• Simpler search results show total expenses, number of staff, and program locations
• Advanced search filters include number of Board members, Clients served, and Donors
• Discounted price on Expert Evaluations that identify strengths & weaknesses in a page

Why give money to support good intentions when our nonprofit strategy, finance, leadership, and impact data can show you who’s really making a difference? Set up one-click access on your mobile device today to search our nonprofit database and select which charities you want to get notified about new performance updates on your Member Dashboard. Monitoring and evaluating charities just got so much easier!

Tags: Charity Evaluation, Effective Philanthropy, Impact, Nonprofit Evaluation, Nonprofit Performance, Strategic Giving

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Posted July 9, 2014 by Al Mueller 9 comments

“The kingdom path links success to obedience rather than outcomes.” That is the mantra from ECFA’s new book The Choice: The Christ-Centered Pursuit of Kingdom Outcomes. Hoag, Rodin & Willmer have been publishing articles in multiple outlets (like OUTCOMES magazine) to push this message to faith-based nonprofits. Since Excellence in Giving clients fund many faith-based nonprofits, we care about the accuracy and consequences of this message. Unfortunately, the baby is being thrown out the door with the bath water.

Tags: Effective Philanthropy, Impact, Nonprofit Performance, Performance Standard

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Posted October 2, 2013 by Al Mueller 0 comments

Reinventing Philanthropy gets under your skin like a dentist’s advice to floss. You know in your head you should do it but don’t always feel like taking the time. Eric Friedman simply wants giving to be effective. What does that mean? He wants people to engage in thinking critically about the world’s greatest needs and our best solutions. He is frustrated. “Giving is too often about making the donor feel better and too infrequently about making those in need better” (12). So Friedman wants to reinvent philanthropy and make the new normal—utilitarian, issue-agnostic donors who support charities offering “the greatest help to the greatest number of people” (182). How does Friedman motivate donors to practice high-impact philanthropy?

Tags: Charitable Giving, Effective Philanthropy, Problem-Solving Philanthropy, Strategic Giving

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Posted May 17, 2013 by Al Mueller 13 comments

International adoptions have dropped 60% since 2004. UN policies, government regulations and high costs are to blame. Millions of orphans suffer through life without a healthy family context. All these facts that Both Ends Burning, STUCK, and now Foster Friess are sharing are true. But you won’t find my name on the STUCK petition at change.org or my footprints in DC during the May 17 “step forward for orphans march.” I’ve learned too much to believe international adoption is a scalable solution for a world full of orphans.

Tags: Effective Philanthropy, International adoption, Problem-Solving Philanthropy, Strategic Giving

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Posted January 10, 2013 by Al Mueller 0 comments

Do you still enjoy your giving? In a world of professional philanthropy conferences, philanthropy journals and “giving gone wrong” headlines, giving can become one more skill to master or task to manage. My daily research into the performance and impact of grantees has the real potential to strip away the joy of generosity. It can become all head and no heart. Site visits can feel like audits. Grant impact reports can relieve the worry of wasting gifts rather than excite you about the difference the gift has made.

To be honest, you may wonder if it really matters.

Tags: Effective Philanthropy, Generosity, Joy of Giving, Strategic Giving

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Posted April 19, 2011 by Al Mueller 0 comments

In February 2010, United Property Distributors donated 100 caskets to Haiti to help bury the dead.  They had good intentions. They wanted to comfort the living by providing a proper burial for the dead.  They ended up killing jobs.  Their donation of caskets coincided with the downturn of orders to Maxima S.A. – a cabinet and casket making business in Haiti.

Thankfully, Maxima S.A. knew how to adapt and had international business mentors (thanks to an organization called Partners Worldwide) who could help.  Maxima S.A. received advice and training from a company in Holland, MI (PorterCorp) on how to make transitional panel housing that meets international standards for a family of 5.  The company quickly grew from 60 Haitian employees to 260 Haitian employees who have played an important role in the rebuilding phase for Haiti.  Unfortunately, the story of well-meaning donations of goods that actually kill local economies is a common tale that has crippled Haiti and handicapped almost every country in Africa.

Tags: Charitable Giving, Effective Philanthropy, Impact

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