So What?

Aid Cuts, How tos and the Future of Advocacy… maybe

February 18, 2011  • Paul L. Sparks

No One Likes Bed Nets Anyway
With all the deficit talk in Washington lately, it’s no surprise that Ron Paul is going after an easy target: US Foreign Aid. It was the least popular spending measure among Americans polled for a recent Pew study. But wait a sec… U.S. assistance to fight AIDS, TB and malaria has saved millions of lives. As one former Bush aide points out, if Americans knew what the aid bought, they might think twice about cutting it.

How the Heck do you Evaluate Advocacy?
The Overseas Development Institute managed to answer that question in a single background note! Well, they did a pretty efficient job at least. This little guy covers everything from key strategy to developing a theory of change to deciding what to measure and how. (Shameless plug warning) And if you’d like a little more help planning and evaluating, you can always check out the tools on our website. Just sayin’.

The Future of Advocacy in the Palm of Your Hand?
Companies such as diMobile are pushing smart phone apps as the coming revolution in non-profit fund raising (for 5 grand +$500/month). But skeptics make some pretty forceful arguments against jumping on the mobile bandwagon. Our advice: make sure you have a clear creative vision and dedicated staff before jumping onto any new communication platform. An annoying app is worse than none at all.

“So What?” – Your Weekly Guide to Advocacy With Impact

No One Likes Bed Nets Anyway
With all the deficit talk in Washington lately, it’s no surprise that Ron Paul is going after an easy target: US Foreign Aid. It was the least popular spending measure among Americans polled for a recent Pew study. But wait a sec… U.S. assistance to fight AIDS, TB and malaria has saved millions of lives. As one former Bush aide points out, if Americans knew what the aid bought, they might think twice about cutting it.

How the Heck do you Evaluate Advocacy?
The Overseas Development Institute managed to answer that question in a single background note! Well, they did a pretty efficient job at least. This little guy covers everything from key strategy to developing a theory of change to deciding what to measure and how. (Shameless plug warning) And if you’d like a little more help planning and evaluating, you can always check out the tools on our website. Just sayin’.

The Future of Advocacy in the Palm of Your Hand?
Companies such as diMobile are pushing smart phone apps as the coming revolution in non-profit fund raising (for 5 grand +$500/month). But skeptics make some pretty forceful arguments against jumping on the mobile bandwagon. Our advice: make sure you have a clear creative vision and dedicated staff before jumping onto any new communication platform. An annoying app is worse than none at all.