August 6, 2009

Published articles

Keystone Accountability staff write periodically for a range of publications. This is a selection of our articles.

Who should measure the impact of non profits March 2016
David Bonbright, Tris Lumley and Paul Garner discuss who should measure the impact of non profits in Alliance Magazine.

The Power of Information in Community Monitoring July 2015
Poverty Action Lab presents findings on the role of information provision in effective community monitoring. The research, based in Uganda, concludes that information on healthcare providers stimulates beneficiary control and allows effective community challenges to poor provider performance.

Feedback loops: going for the early majority June 2015
Kai Hopkins and Natalia Kiryttopoulou explain how if you listen to  your constituents, you will be able to identify which of their needs require attention and become better at attending to them. Published in Alliance Magazine.

Feedback as democracy in social change practice June 2015
David Bonbright, Elizabeth Christopherson and Fadel Ndiame discuss a systematic process of listening and responding to constituents that goes beyond accountability in ways that are transformative for both the organization and the constitutents. Published in Alliance Magazine.

Closing the Citizen Feedback Loop October 2014
David Bonbright and Dennis Whittle identify the three questions that donors should be asking; what do people actually want? are they getting it? if not then what should we do differently? Published by the Center for Effective Philanthropy.

Listening for greater impact: the Constituent Voice June 2013
David Bonbright explores why listening to the voices of the primary constituents of philanthropy – those meant to benefit from the work – is every bit as important and valuable as customer satisfaction data for Alliance Magazine.

Raising Constituent Voice May 2013
David Bonbright argues in Charity Finance that by listening and responding to beneficiaries, impact will be enhanced.

‘Mirror mirror on the wall’ – an honest reflection of impact investing April 2013
Kai Hopkins discusses investee feedback in Alliance Magazine.

Measuring the impact of impact investing: what investees think April 2013
Kai Hopkins discusses Keystone’s impacting investing survey for the Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire.

InterAction’s guidance note on the Use of Impact Evaluation Results November 2012                                                                                                                                                              David Bonbright argues that the findings from impact evaluations – and indeed any evaluative activities – will not be used well unless and until we tackle and reform organizational culture.

Why markets for good may go wrong May 2012
David Bonbright discusses how the focus should be on those benefiting from social change in Alliance Magazine.

From words and whispers to deals and deeds: reflections on the 2012 Skoll World Forum April 2012
David Bonbright discusses the forum for Alliance Magazine.

The Ultimate Question 2.0 – how net promoter companies thrive in a customer-driven world March 2012
David Bonbright reviews the book, The Ultimate Question 2.0 for Alliance Magazine.

The Bellagio Initiative: when measurement becomes our new best friend November 2011
David Bonbright reflects on the Bellagio Summit for Alliance Magazine.

McKinsey’s Learning for Social Impact intitiative June 2011
David Bonbright reviews Learning for Social Impact for Alliance Magazine.

IPAL as a complementary method to Outcome Mapping May 2009
Natalia Kiryttopoulou explans Keystone’s Impact Planning, Assessment and Learning (IPAL) method and how it relates to and complements Outcome Mapping. Published in Outcome Mapping Learning Community Newsletter.

Proving or Improving? Mar 2008
David Bonbright sets out his views on the debate between using context or scientific metrics to measure impact. Published in Alliance Magazine.

Making social investment decisions – What do we need to know? Dec 2007
David Bonbright explores the emergence of new forms of measurement for social change. Published in Alliance Magazine.

Taking evaluation seriously – still a way to go Dec 2007
David Bonbright and Betsy Schmidt discuss results of a survey of grant-making and grant-recipient organizations on evaluation practice. Published in Alliance Magazine.

Saving the World? What International Philanthropy can and cannot do Sep 2007
Audio of Michael Lerner of the New School interviewing David Bonbright on the opportunities and key requirements for effective international philanthropy in the 21st Century.

Not Learning from beneficiaries Jun 2006
David Bonbright highlights the critical problem of donors, despite their stated commitments, not learning from their beneficiaries about what does and does not work in development projects. Published in Alliance Magazine.

What we take for granted Mar 2004
David Bonbright assesses the lack of attention paid to civil society infrastructure within the development industry. Published in Alliance Magazine.