The Role of Evaluation in Strategic Philanthropy

A foundation can gauge and improve its impact through an operational and financial commitment to evaluation, investment in building staff capacity, and a willingness to ask hard questions and change course based on the answers. In this article, we describe the concept and practice of strategic philanthropy, lay out the essential role that evaluation and impact measurement play in that approach, and share the framework and process that we have developed for measuring results at the Walton Family Foundation.