Comments on: Meeting the Future in California http://ceo.guidestar.org/2009/05/13/meeting-the-future-in-california/ Transparency, the Nonprofit Sector, and GuideStar Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:21:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Bob Ottenhoff http://ceo.guidestar.org/2009/05/13/meeting-the-future-in-california/comment-page-1/#comment-36 Bob Ottenhoff Mon, 18 May 2009 18:36:15 +0000 http://ceo.guidestar.org/?p=196#comment-36 For Timothy V. Welo: You make excellent points. I particularly like “we want to measure what is easy to measure as compared to what is important to measure.” And I agree with you wholeheartedly that “we have to try.” For Timothy V. Welo: You make excellent points. I particularly like “we want to measure what is easy to measure as compared to what is important to measure.” And I agree with you wholeheartedly that “we have to try.”

]]> By: Timothy V. Welo http://ceo.guidestar.org/2009/05/13/meeting-the-future-in-california/comment-page-1/#comment-34 Timothy V. Welo Fri, 15 May 2009 15:22:15 +0000 http://ceo.guidestar.org/?p=196#comment-34 I think it is quite obvious that we make important what we measure and therefore need to be very careful what we measure. My experience in measurement is that we went to measure what is easy to measure as compared to what is important to measure. And in many cases, it is hard to measure those things that are important. For example, how to you measure "improving mankind" if that is a founding purpose of a foundation? Very difficult. I think the most important thing to remember that measurement and evaluation are not precise as we would like nor as easy as we would like. But we have to try. I think it is quite obvious that we make important what we measure and therefore need to be very careful what we measure.

My experience in measurement is that we went to measure what is easy to measure as compared to what is important to measure. And in many cases, it is hard to measure those things that are important. For example, how to you measure “improving mankind” if that is a founding purpose of a foundation? Very difficult.

I think the most important thing to remember that measurement and evaluation are not precise as we would like nor as easy as we would like. But we have to try.

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