The Philea Virtual Library

The Philea Virtual Library includes over 1,000 free-to-download publications from a range of organisations and publishers on the topics of philanthropy, the management of foundations and the areas they are involved in and support. As a Philea member you can send us your publications for inclusion in the library which will also be added to the global IssueLab network where they will be made available to an extended audience, including users of Worldcat, the global catalogue used by tens of thousands of libraries. For questions or assistance, please contact the Philea Virtual Library.
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Featured

The Institutional Philanthropy Spectrum: the EFC's Knowledge Framework for Understanding European Philanthropy

October 1, 2019

This publication outlines the EFC's Institutional Philanthropy Spectrum (IPS), a flexible framework for collecting, analysing and disseminating knowledge on the European philanthropy sector. Mindful of the complex nature of European philanthropy, the Spectrum is designed to be circular rather than linear, illustrative rather than definitive, and therefore open to continuous evolution. This allows the framework to capture the interconnected characteristics of a sector that is in constant flux. Taking a functional rather than legalistic approach to understanding European philanthropy, the IPS is organised around the following key aspects of institutional philanthropy: Financial resources; use of assets; governance; practices and behaviours; and relevance. The Spectrum breaks these aspects down into detailed clusters to identify the unique features and practices of institutional philanthropy actors.Since its inception, the EFC has been a hub of information and knowledge on European philanthropy. This knowledge provides a solid evidence base for communicating the value and impact of philanthropy and for representing the sector – to governments, policymakers and the public. For EFC members, our knowledge hub serves as a resource for informing strategic decision-making and identifying peers and partners. We believe that the Spectrum frames this knowledge in a way that allows for a deeper understanding of this diverse sector, and makes this knowledge even more useful for philanthropic organisations, enabling them to envision how they fit into the philanthropy space, and allowing them to find commonalities and explore differences with other organisations.

Knowledge and Data Management

Making Use of Evidence for Good : Practical Insights

September 13, 2022

Philea, in collaboration with the European Research Network on Philanthropy (ERNOP) hosted a webinar on using data collection and research evidence for influencing social policy, strategic decision-making, and implementation of programmes on 13 September 2022. Based on a critical overview of the field, which was provided by Tobias Jung (Director and Founder at the Centre for the Study of Philanthropy and Public Good) and reflections on good practices and lessons learned, which were kindly shared by Cristina Chiotan (Director, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning at European Climate Foundation) and Rein Terwindt (Senior Evidence Specialist at LEGO Foundation), this follow-up piece summarises some of the key issues raised during the online event and provides a basis for foundations to further reflect on the roles that they can play in public policymaking and how to approach these. 

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Knowledge and Data Management; Science and Technology

Learning As You Scale - A practical guide for using data and insights to navigate scaling and complex system change

January 1, 2021

This guide supports those involved in scaling social innovations to develop and embed a disposition to learn 'as they scale'. Learning As You Scale may mean that the 'innovation' shifts and flexes in response to challenge and learning, evolving into a better social innovation along the way. This guide has been designed specifically for those involved in social innovations who are interested in involving the people for whom the innovation is designed (the beneficiaries) within this scaling and learning process. It can be used by individuals and teams within these types of social innovations who occupy roles connected to evaluation, learning & development, and leadership, governance & strategy.A recording of the launch of the guide is available to view on this page: https://www.genio.ie/publications/learning-as-you-scale

Evaluation and Learning; Knowledge and Data Management

Civil Society Organizations and General Data Protection Regulation Compliance

February 1, 2020

Civil Society Organizations and General Data Protection Regulation Compliance: Challenges, Opportunities and Best Practices, a new report from the Open Society Information Program, looks specifically at the ways that the world's most comprehensive data privacy law impacts nongovernmental organizations.It examines, in practical terms, what these kind of organizations have done to comply with the law. It also presents research showing ways that governments, businesses, and some powerful individuals have tried—so far unsuccessfully—to use the law to prevent these organizations from pursuing public interest research and reporting.Finally, the report provides a best practices guide that can be used to ensure compliance and limit risk.

Knowledge and Data Management; Legislation and Taxation

Impacting Responsibly

May 24, 2019

Designed to help the social sector measure its impact in a responsible manner, the report, Impacting Responsibly, gathers insights from thought leaders in the fields of philanthropy, measurement, and evaluation in nine areas — impact capacity building, impact frameworks and standards, constituent feedback, current reporting burden, resource inequities, impact data ownership, roles and responsibilities, collaboration, and limits of quantitative evidence. The contributions also address questions such as: How can organizations of all sizes and budgets use impact data? How can they better engage those they serve through impact data? How should they handle privacy and data protection? And how can they collaborate to maximize what they can learn from impact data?

Evaluation and Learning; Grantmaking and Programme Management; Knowledge and Data Management

Understanding & Sharing What Works: The State of Foundation Practice

November 8, 2018

The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) surveyed private and community foundation leaders regarding what they know about what is and isn't working in their foundations' efforts to achieve their goals. Drawing from 119 survey responses and in-depth interviews with 41 foundation CEOs, the report finds that while the majority of foundation CEOs believe they understand well what is working in their programmatic efforts, more than 40 percent believe their foundation is not investing enough time and money in developing that understanding.

Administration and Management; Grantmaking and Programme Management; Knowledge and Data Management

Sharing Data Responsibility : A Conversation Guide for Funders

October 1, 2018

This guide is based on research conducted by The Engine Room and Ariadne, with contributions from 360Giving, between March-October 2018. The project was supported by Digital Impact (part of the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University).  It is useful for funders who want to improve their data management practices and are looking for resources to help as well as (human rights) funders or grantmakers worldwide who want to treat data about their grantees responsibly, but do not always know where to start.The publishers of that guide believe that funders need to start with clear, open conversations with grantees and other funders about how they collect and share data. This document, based on inputs from more than 40 human rights funders, aims to help funders have these conversations. It lists common questions that grantees and funders might ask, combined with advice and resources to help answer them. Its content is organised around three elements of the grantmaking lifecycle: data collection, data storage, and data sharing.

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Human Rights, Citizenship, Democracy; Knowledge and Data Management

Open for Good: Knowledge Sharing to Strengthen Grantmaking

April 30, 2018

Knowledge has the power to spark change, but only if it is shared. In this GrantCraft guide, grantmakers make a strong case for foundations to openly share knowledge as an integral and strategic aspect of philanthropy. Learn from their firsthand experience how to grow organizational capacity and culture for knowledge sharing, address common concerns, and use knowledge exchange to advance your mission and impact.

Grantmaking and Programme Management; Knowledge and Data Management

Global Philanthropy Data Charter - Community Chest Case Study

September 19, 2017

The Charter was created as part of a collaborative process to help guide the philanthropic sector's data-related work and instil a data culture. The updated Charter it is soon to be released as a toolkit along with 4 of our Members' Case Studies – as the last organization to present its case study, the Community Chest of the Western Cape presents us the results of a survey conducted in 2015 amongst 10 Cape Flats schools to investigate patterns of absenteeism due to menstruation and other sexual education and feminine health issues. 

Knowledge and Data Management

Learning From Our Funding : Insight Report 1

May 1, 2017

In 2016 Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, together with the Blagrave Trust, surveyed UK charities on whether funder were fit for the 21st Century. From the (anonymised) responses, it appeared clearly that many charities feel that funders are getting it wrong on learning.They have written this report for the organisations they fund. They have made a lot of changes over the last two years towards a goal of shared learning and they want the people they fund to see what they are learning from what they have been told, and how they are starting to make changes as a result. They hope this report will also be useful to other funders as well.

Evaluation and Learning; Grantmaking and Programme Management; Knowledge and Data Management

Peer to Peer: At the Heart of Influencing More Effective Philanthropy

February 1, 2017

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has had a long-standing commitment to increasing the effectiveness of grantmaking organizations, a commitment reflected in its Philanthropy Grantmaking Program. In 2015, the Foundation commissioned Harder+Company Community Research, in partnership with Edge Research, to conduct a field scan to inform its own strategies in this area as well as those of other organizations working to increase philanthropic effectiveness. Drawing on data from multiple sources, the field scan identified which knowledge sources and formats are most likely to be accessed by funders, how that knowledge is assessed by its users, and the ways in which knowledge is used to shape the practice of philanthropy.

Evaluation and Learning; Knowledge and Data Management

Facilitating Intentional Group Learning: A Practical Guide to 21 Learning Activites

January 9, 2017

Many of today's social sector organizations are searching for ways to be more nimble, adaptive, and responsive, and they are looking to "learning" as a means for responding to myriad competing demands and shifting priorities and challenges. In particular, a range of publications and conferences have shown an interest in learning as a tool for social change. For example, in 2005, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) reminded us that "Learning is about continual reflection—asking and answering key questions you need to know to make smarter decisions. It's about engaging staff, the board, and grantees in reflective discussion of what works (and what doesn't) to advance your organization's mission and goals" (p. 2).Others of us, including the Center for Evaluation Innovation, Innovation Network, Grantmakers in Health, Grantmakers in Education, Grantcraft, Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University, Council on Foundations, Center for Effective Philanthropy, Nonprofit Quarterly, and a variety of foundations, corporate philanthropic organizations, and consultants, have made learning a cornerstone of our work. Many such organizations have consistently communicated the importance of being a learning organization, supporting strategic learning through evaluation and other forms of data collection, and forging intentional connections between strategy, evaluation, and learning.While it is clear that the topic of learning remains of great importance to the social sector, many organizations, including those in the public and private sectors, seem to be stuck on operationalizing what it means to engage in and support intentional learning in their organizations. We hope this guide will help a wide array of professionals better understand how and when to use group learning activities to intentionally support and facilitate continuous learning through reflection and dialogue.

Knowledge and Data Management

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