Comments for FeedbackLabs

Comment on See how it turned out! Feedback loops for implementation and sustainability by M Greenberg

M Greenberg — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 21:28:38 +0000

Thank you for this! There is perhaps some understandable reluctance to assess the “sustainability” of development projects – in that so much of the inputs and outputs fail to generate outcomes and impacts, aside from whether they are sustainable. There may be an “Emperor is Wearing No Clothes” aspect to years of claiming commitments to sustainability without having mechanisms to assess it.

Comment on How to understand the impact of aid projects? Storytelling! by Jindra Cekan

Jindra Cekan — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 19:06:20 +0000

Jennifer – fascinating. What did you learn from the 0.4 who were interested in talking about failure? What did they do, what can we learn? We must listen and learn from both failures and successes, by valuing their voices. And fascinating on the demographics!
Cheers, Jindra

Comment on TechStat: Utilizing Feedback Loops to Drive Your Agency’s Performance by Asha Aravindakshan

Asha Aravindakshan — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 22:27:28 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Jindra! More and more donors are building in measuring and evaluation work into their grants, so that organizations pay attention to the outcomes. It’s a relatively new conversation in the not-for-profit arena, so there should be a positive shift to data-driven decision-making across the next few years.

Comment on TechStat: Utilizing Feedback Loops to Drive Your Agency’s Performance by Jindra Cekan

Jindra Cekan — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:45:10 +0000

Dear Asha –
TechStat is really interesting and as a DC resident (and Fenty fan), think it’s great to have such integration! I have seen similar examples even in Rio de Janiero’s mayoral office… How wonderful when data drives decisionmaking!
I wonder whether Ashoka would fund a similar initiative in international development. We need just such 360 survey data from our clients, the communities, to see how sustainable our development has been 2, 5, 10 years after projects close.
Please advise whether Ashoka’s great Feedback Labs initiative will have another round…
Warmly, Jindra
http://www.ValuingVoices.com

Comment on Annual General Meetings: Why not charities too? by Caroline Fiennes

Caroline Fiennes — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:48:51 +0000

Caroline Fiennes here, the post’s author.

Thanks, both, for your comments.

Great: so glad that you agree (as do others who’ve written privately to say so).
So what shall we do? Are any of you involved in large charities (or even small ones) who could hold such an AGM, or fund ones which you could ‘nudge’ to hold one?

Comment on Digital Citizens: How Feedback Loops can improve governance on everything from potholes to voting by Steven Clift

Steven Clift — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 15:23:37 +0000

If you would like a quick preview on how we build inclusive local online spaces for public participation (neighborhood-based feedback loops for public services and MORE), watch this 6 minute mobile video: http://e-democracy.org/virtualbooth

If you can’t make the live Hangout webcast, in addition to watching the replay on-demand, check out these detailed slides and video: http://bit.ly/newvoicesvideo

Comment on The Feedback Hyperloop by Kathryn Thomson

Kathryn Thomson — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 19:26:45 +0000

Dear Sam, thanks for this post highlighting the importance of integrating human centric and data driven approaches to any feedback loop. The process of determining collective will, learning from the collective, and using that learning to find the best path forward is always iterative. We are drowning in information–but how do we make sense of it? curate it? act on it? Ethelo Decisions weaves an inperson and online process together to help people see, understand and act together more wisely. I hope you have a chance to check us out. Our mission is to use this process and this tool to ignite more,truly democratic ways of acting together.

Kathryn
Public Engagement and Facilitation
Ethelo

Comment on Why Preparation is a Necessary Component of a Successful Collaborative Effort by Jennifer Lentfer

Jennifer Lentfer — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 12:53:15 +0000

Getting collaboration right also means getting and staying conscious about power asymmetries. Even when there are systems for feedback in place, my experience is that funders especially are often ill-prepared and ill-equipped to hear it, let alone, respond to the feedback. (See http://politicsofpoverty.oxfamamerica.org/2013/10/oxfam-article-on-feed-the-future-in-haiti-causes-a-stir-in-washington-dc/)

When people give feedback, those bringing resources to the table are being asked outright make their peace with the “discomfort” of the aid industry. This is unfortunately still too new a phenomenon, so folks deserve a little credit, and way more preparation. Conflict management should be part of this.

People will disappoint you from time to time. You will also let other people down. And as in our personal relationships, we have to re-commit every day to making them work. Relationships within international development are no different. The words we use, the actions we take are all part of building effective collaboration.

Now to include this in performance measures…

Comment on Annual General Meetings: Why not charities too? by Tris Lumley

Tris Lumley — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 08:30:43 +0000

Couldn’t agree more.

I’ve wondered whether actually we need a Declaration of the Rights of the Beneficiary, which would give individuals the right to hold accountable any organisation that raised money on their behalf, delivered services aiming to benefit them, etc.

Comment on Annual General Meetings: Why not charities too? by Jindra Cekan

Jindra Cekan — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 13:38:07 +0000

Yes, this is excellent. We should broaden the concept of ‘people’ to include the project participants in the feedback loop so have these meetings in the countries in which they are working. Those are the charities real clients from whom they Most need feedback on how sustainable and excellent their programming has been in their communities.
I want to be a fly on the proverbial palm tree during those. We have much to learn when we Value their Voices!