September 2009

At the Institute, we believe in what we call a "theory of change", which underpins all of the work that we do; this theory states that if we give people the skills, knowledge and networks to give, then they will increase the size and the impact of their giving.

However, our philosophy is only of use if we can prove that it is having practical and sustained effect. As a result, we place great importance on the assessment of each of our programmes, constantly examining whether they are achieving their stated aims.

Evaluation is particularly important in the not-for-profit world, where success is less readily defined, let alone visible. Whereas, say, a team of executives can point to a strong set of statistics as proof of their brilliant investment strategy, a philanthropist can't so easily identify how successful they have been in the struggle against poverty, or in tackling climate change.

We therefore evaluate the work that we do, and encourage donors and not-for profit organisations to do the same. Our new publication - Evaluation: a guide - does the latter; a 20-page document, complete with case studies, tested methodologies and helpful references, it is a succinct and authoritative introduction to this area.

Crucially, we take care to practise what we preach; and, to name but two examples of this, there are the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) and The Philanthropy Workshop. For YPI, in which now almost 10,000 students have taken part, we commissioned an independent appraisal - funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation - of its first year in UK schools, which found that "the overwhelming feedback from students is one of enthusiasm for and interest in YPI, and this way of learning."

For The Philanthropy Workshop, we go a step further; here, we conduct three evaluation interviews with donors. The first takes place before they join the programme (what we call a baseline interview), the second at the conclusion of the programme and the third three to five years after completion. Our intention here is to assess the impact of the programme on their giving, to see whether our theory of change has been effective; not only to maintain but to build upon the quality of our efforts.

This constant desire for self-improvement is a common thread throughout our diverse activities at the Institute, and is the hallmark of each of the individuals and institutions with which we work. Evaluation may not be the most obvious item on a philanthropist's agenda - or even the most exciting - but it is certainly one of the most vital.