Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation (PSI)

Workshops, Policymaker Engagement and Communications

With guidance from Aspen Philanthropy Group members, the Aspen Institute’s Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation (PSI) will work with partners to advance the following action agenda.

• Mapping the Momentum—PSI is working with partners, including foundation program officers, practitioners and issue experts to identify the issue domains where funders and grantees have already begun to cohere around shared strategy and metrics. Within those areas, we will map progress toward a given problem and its solution, outline the agreed-upon elements of a theory of change, assess the division of labor among sectors, note shared measures of success and identify knowledge gaps and unsolved challenges.
• Convening Working Groups on Strategy, Methods & Metrics—Based on this research, PSI will then convene working groups (read more) of grant-makers, grant-seekers, and relevant public and private sector actors to explore the solutions offered, consider the partnerships available, and come to a shared view of the measures of success.  Working groups will draw on existing knowledge and work already done with the goal of taking prior conversations the “last mile” and building consensus that may have proved elusive.
• Engaging new philanthropists—PSI will engage “new philanthropists”, including principals of family foundations, in the Workshops process so as to learn from their experiences, ensure that they are part of the larger consensus on strategy, methods and metrics, and to equip them with the tools they need to be most effective. Initial attention will be given to those Global Philanthropy Forum members.
• Engaging emerging policymakers—Foundations with which we interact may participate in structured meetings with emerging political leaders with the aim of advancing the latter’s knowledge of the philanthropic sector as well as exploring opportunities for the public-private partnerships to advance shared social goals. In particular, separate funding permitting, the Aspen Institute will identify an alumni group of Aspen-Rodel Fellows and seek funds to create a series of discussions between these emerging political leaders and foundation executives.
• Communicate findings/results—PSI will partner with the Global Philanthropy Forum®, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Philanthropy Roundtable and others to communicate philanthropy’s purpose, methods and standards and showcase effective programs and partnerships that arise from the Workshop series. PSI will also draw on the research already undertaken by the Philanthropy Awareness Initiative, Communications Network and others to employ both traditional and new media to advance public understanding of philanthropy’s role and impact.

PSI will convene the first of its Last Mile Workshops on April 21 at the 2010 Global Philanthropy Forum in a session entitled “Counting What Counts.” The purpose of the Workshop series is to build upon progress made in the area of social impact assessment. The session will follow a “fishbowl”  format, with Global Philanthropy Forum participants listening in.

“Counting What Counts” will survey the range of approaches and knowledge-sharing platforms that have been developed to assess social impact in the public and not-for-profit sectors, including assessment techniques that do not yield “proof” but enhance learning and allow for mid-course correction - such as beneficiary feedback. The session will also provide GPF participants with a view of the current “best-of-breed” tools and systems that have been developed for assessing social impact for use in their own philanthropy and alert them to the Aspen Philanthropy Group’s ongoing conversation.