Social return on investment (SROI), an evaluation method that compares monetized social value generated to costs invested, is in ascendance. Conceptually akin to cost-benefit analysis, it shares some of its challenges; however, these are heightened due to the expressed promise of using SROI to compare programs and inform philanthropic and public…

Creation of a framework for Brand and Reputation Metrics in Education represents a significant milestone in the field of marketing and communications in the sector. Stemming from a global collaboration led by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), this framework highlights and addresses a critical need for consistent…

Education researchers have explored the marketisation of schools resulting from neoliberal education policy, but little attention has been paid to supplementary education markets. Supplementary education services, such as private tuition, are delivered outside of school but designed to improve performance within it. A small body of research…

An increasing number of foundations are embracing racial equity/equity as a core value, and it is influencing how they see themselves and operate. However, evaluation has for the most part remained untouched. Knowing how race/racism has influenced both, philanthropy and evaluation, deepens our understanding of how philanthropic evaluation practice…

"Benchmarking 2010" offers insights into the current priorities, practices and concerns of education grantmakers. The report is divided into five sections: (1) Mapping the Education Grantmaking Landscape; (2) 2010 Funding Priorities; (3) Strategies for Leveraging Greater Impact; (4) Identifying Significant Trends in Education Funding; and (5)…

This article describes the Voluntary Support for Education (VSE) Survey, an instrument created by the Council for Aid to Education. Our objective is to explain VSE's potential value as a tool to inform both institutional and academic research regarding fund-raising activities at community colleges. Of particular interest is how the data available…

As the relative level of public support for higher education declines, colleges and universities aim to maximize alumni-giving to keep their programs competitive. Anchored in a utility maximization framework, this study employs the classification and regression tree methodology to examine characteristics of alumni donors and non-donors at a…

This brief and accompanying Funder's Sustainability Assessment Tool is intended to help foundation leaders address the challenges of sustainability. The brief begins with a framework for thinking about sustainability, introduces an assessment tool funders can use in a variety of ways to support sustainability in their grantmaking, and concludes…

The June 30, 1981 final project report of the Trempealeau County Kellogg Project summarizes the activities of the rural, county-based broadband, interactive, bidirectional telecommunictions system. The system described interconnects eight school districts, providing for the educational needs at all levels, in addition to providing access to…

The Western Wisconsin Communications Cooperative (WWCC) was established in 1973 to develop and implement a county-wide, multi-service, broadband, interactive, telecommunications system to enhance the quality of rural life. Eight school districts adopted the system's concept and signed a 15 year lease agreement with WWCC. Funds were procured from…

"Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" is the authoritative source for accurate information on the state of education around the world. It provides data on the output of educational institutions; the impact of learning across countries; the financial and human resources invested in education; access, participation and progression in…

The Opportunity Funding Corporation (OFC) is an experimental and demonstration program designed to show that private sector investment in poverty areas can be induced by providing financial incentives. This paper focuses on relevant evaluation strategies for such programs. (DM)

Observations from the first conference for nine recipients of Exxon RAMP grants, hosted June 16-18, 1974 by St. Lawrence University, are offered. Focus is on the nature of the grant process itself and the relationship between the grantor and grantee. (LBH)

Reasons tendered by a selected group of 31 professional philanthropic foundation staff for the limited use of evaluation of philanthropic grants are reviewed. Ways to increase evaluation use are reviewed. Formal, informal, internal, and external evaluations can be very valuable to a foundation. (SLD)

Although the ratio of program costs to dollars raised is an important measure of effectiveness, there are many variables among colleges and universities that must be considered when fund-raising efforts are assessed. Both tangible (size, academic offerings, type of institution) and intangible (spirit, energy, ability) variables are discussed.…