Identifying and Promoting Best Practices
Resources
| Anderson, Karen L. (comp.) “Best Definitions of 'Best Practices.'” Foundation News & Commentary 40 (November-December 1999): p. 29. | |
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A number of grantmaking professionals define what the term "best practices" means to them. |
| Backer, Thomas E. and John Bare. "Scanning the Environment for Philanthropic Best Practice Systems." Foundation News & Commentary 40 (November-December 1999): p. 25-8. | |
Discusses the findings of the environmental scan used by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami to gather information on the use of evaluation, collaboration and best practices by foundations. Sidebars provide suggestions for foundations seeking to improve their philanthropic practice; examples of innovative foundation approaches to evaluation and collaboration; and a listing of related reports. |
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| “Guidelines for Transferring Effective Practices: A Practical Manual for South-South Cooperation.” Commissioned by: CityNet, Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlements, UNDP Special Unit for Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries, and UNCHS Best Practice and Local Leadership Programme, (November 1998). | |
Discusses the principles involved in transferring effective practices and provides helpful charts, illustrations and lists. |
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| Green, John C. and Sherman, Amy L. “Fruitful Collaborations: A Survey of Government Funded Faith-Based Programs in 15 States.” Hudson Institute Inc., (2002), www.hudsonfaithincommunities.org. | |
A research study examining faith-based contracting for social services in 15 states to determine how many contracts each state held with faith-based organizations and how well the relationships were doing. |
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| Johnson, Byron R.; Tompkins, Ralph Brett and Webb, Derek. “Objective Hope: Assessing the Effectiveness of Faith-Based Organizations: A Review of the Literature.” Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society, www.sas.upenn.edu/crrucs/8_research_pdf/objective_hope.pdf. | |
Provides a systematic review of over 800 studies published in recent years, evaluating the effectiveness of faith-based organizations. |
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| Nathan, Richard; Goggin, Malcom; Roper, Richard; and Wright, David. “Exploratory Research on Effectiveness.” (Transcript from Annual Conference, October 23, 2002, http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org.) | |
| This article is a direct transcript from a workshop on exploratory research in effectiveness at The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy's annual conference. | |
| Orr, John and Spoto, Peter. “Promising Public Practices: Implementing Charitable Choice in California.” www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/religion_online/welfare/pub_pubpractices.pdf | |
| Discusses three promising public practices enhancing the ability of California's welfare agencies to interact more effectively with faith-based organizations in social service partnerships and collaboration. | |
| Sherman, Amy L. “Empowering Compassion: The Strategic Role of Intermediary Organizations in Building Capacity Among and Enhancing the Impact of Community Transformers.” Hudson Institute Inc., (2002), www.hudsonfaithincommuncities.org | |
| Profiles the many different types of intermediary organizations and the various areas of capacity building that intermediary organizations are engaged in including a review of effective methodologies. | |
| Yancy, Gaynor; Rogers, Robin; and Garland, Diana (Baylor University School of Social Work) and Netting, Elen F and O'Connor, Mary Katherine. “Identifying Effective Practices in Urban Faith-Based Social Service Programs: The Challenges of Designing and Conducting Research.” www.religionandsocialpolicy.org. | |
| Discusses the many challenges and issues involved in designing and conducting research on effective practices and provides a review of some of the research parameters chosen. | |
Web-based
Resources
EpiCenter
www.nationalserviceresources.org/epicenter
Sponsored by the National Service Research Center, a service of
the Corporation for National and Community Service. Epicenter
is an online searchable database of effective practices for national
and community service programs.
Faith at Work
www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/religion_online/
Faith at Work is a project sponsored by the California Council of Churches and the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California and funded by the James Irvine Foundation. Faith at Work offers a website on Promising Practices featuring criteria for identifying promising practices and a searchable archive of Promising Practices.
PEPNet: Promising and Effective
Practices Network
www.nyec.org/pepnet/
As part of the National Youth Employment Coalition, PEPNet is one of the country's premier resources on what works in youth development and employment. The PEPNet website offers an online index to effective practices featuring over 500 specific effective practices identified from PEPNet awardees.
Points of Light Foundation
www.pointsoflight.org/resources
Provides a list of research efforts currently being undertaken by the Points of Light Foundation in the area of defining principles of excellence.
SAHMSA National Registry of
Effective Programs
www.modelprograms.samhsa.gov/
Provides a list of model programs that have proved effective in preventing or reducing substance abuse. The website also includes information on defining and identifying effective practices and model programs.
UCLA Service Learning Clearinghouse
www.gseis.ucla.edu/slc/modelp.html
This website provides a review of model programs in service learning and many links to course syllabi and to sites that describe model service-learning programs and courses.
Western CAPT
www.unr.edu/westcapt/bestpractices
The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's Western Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies website offers information on best practice identification and incorporation as well as a searchable database of best practices.
Whatcom Council of Nonprofits
www.wcnwebsite.org/practices
A downloadable file of an article entitled, “Best Practices for Executive Directors and Boards of Nonprofit Organizations” focuses on best practices in the area of organizational development.