February 25, 2013
Amid the rampant “datafying” of things, we would like to keep cool heads as we witness the (welcome) proliferation of tools and platforms and attempt to place them on a landscape of utility. This particular moment is a marked evolution as the web catches up with history to discover that...
February 20, 2013
This paper, offered in full text for Markets For Good, was originally published by Alliance Magazine. Many thanks to the author, Buzz Schmidt, and to Caroline Hartnell, Editor of Alliance Magazine. The paper proposes in detail a version of an upgraded information infrastructure for the social sector – squarely...
February 18, 2013
Markets For Good talks with Jeannine Corey , Director of Grants Information Management of The Foundation Center for an update on the Reporting Commitment, an initiative launched by a group of the largest U.S. foundations. We read many announcements of start-ups, projects, and initiatives; but, it’s good to check in...
February 6, 2013
Our conversation on upgrading the information infrastructure for the social sector takes place at a moment in which both the technological and cultural/organizational changes needed to make it happen are equally urgent. And they’re happening. Elizabeth Boris offers a researcher’s perspective on these movements toward better data practice and talks...
January 31, 2013
Markets For Good, Curator’s Note The nonprofit sector is on the front-lines, working to solve the toughest social problems. But, perhaps the first problem to solve today is an internal one: upgrading our data practices. On airplanes we are strongly advised to put our individual oxygen masks on first, before...
January 29, 2013
Based on his work as Founder, President and CEO of the Family Independence Initiative, MacArthur Genius Award winner Mauricio Lim Miller brings an uncommon lens to the modern concept of “social,” redirecting the investment of thought and resources toward the social ties that can directly change lives. He also refreshes...
January 24, 2013
In this post, Perla Ni gives an overview of beneficiary feedback from the community perspective, noting that feedback tools for grantmakers, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations must demonstrate on-the-ground results and lead to improvements in programming and in quality of life for beneficiaries. So, where are we today with community...
November 27, 2012
Reliable and accessible data in the social sector is hard to come by. But, changing the way we generate, use, and share data is more than simply creating better collections of data. Independent consultant, Cynthia Gibson Ph.D., takes on this topic, starting with a brief look back at how we’ve...
November 19, 2012
The complexity of the “data” question is evident to the point of new cliché. Regardless of whether it is cliché or not, we have to deal with it. After any given round of wrestling with the question, we can often sense ways forward that are simple, powerful, and counterintuitive. That’s...
November 2, 2012
At Markets For Good, we explore a wide range of themes on the use and sharing of data, but not for the sake of discussion itself: Instead, we want to discover what’s going on and how to connect, align, and accelerate what’s working. Think of this as upgrading the information...
