Jewlya Lynn
Biographic Data
| ID | 6852701 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jewlya Lynn |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jewlya |
| FAMILY NAME | Lynn |
| SIGNATURE | LYNN J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Center for Evaluation Innovation |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Lost Causal
Editor’s Note: This article, first published in print and online in 2022, has been republished by The Foundation Review with minor updates. What if philanthropic evaluations told us that changes in the world had occurred, as well as how and why they occurred, including whether what foundations funded and grantees did contributed to those changes? What if evaluations made change pathways more visible, tested hypotheses and assumptions, and generat…
Passing in the Dark
While the need for philanthropy to focus on systems change as a way to scale and sustain impact is now widely accepted, we see the sector largely failing to recognize that there are different mental models for how to change systems. Sometimes the approaches foundations use are based on competing mental models or models that are not a good fit for the systems, problems, strategies, or practices they are using. We see two mental models for systems …
Learning Amid Disruption
The philanthropic sector has come to recognize the importance of bringing a systems lens to its work, seeking to influence upstream drivers of complex problems, and being adaptive in its approaches instead of implementing static, multiyear plans. Yet, integrating these concepts into practice continues to pose a challenge. Humanity United — a foundation dedicated to cultivating the conditions for enduring freedom and peace — had been grappling wit…
Strategy Resilience
Public and private systems worldwide have been disrupted by COVID-19, cutting across all types of philanthropic priorities. Amid this uncertainty, some philanthropic strategies have struggled to find their footing while others have adapted easily, harnessing previously unanticipated opportunities to achieve change. Why have some philanthropic strategies been more successful than others? What wisdom can we draw from this moment that can help us pr…
Executive Summaries
This article describes the Transformative Impact Model, an approach to donor-led giving employed by the Wynn Resorts Foundation. In support of two capital improvement projects for a pair of nonprofits in Las Vegas, Nevada, the foundation lent its expertise, and leveraged its professional network to encourage and coordinate in-kind donations and cash gifts. In addition, the foundation's engagement of leadership and front
Lost Causal
What if philanthropic evaluations told us that changes in the world had occurred, as well as how and why they occurred, including in what ways foundation funding and grantees contributed to those changes? What if evaluations made change pathways more visible, tested hypotheses and assumptions, and generated new insights based on what happened in the “black box” of systems change strategies? This type of learning comes from causal analysis — inqui…
Strategy Design Amid Complexity
Increasingly, foundations recognize the importance of designing adaptive strategies that can respond to complex environments and problems. Recent articles have cautioned against practices common in strategic philanthropy that hinder the ability of foundations and grantees to account for changing contexts and adapt their strategies accordingly. But understanding the importance of and barriers to adaptive strategy is not sufficient. Foundations now…
When Backbone Organizations Become the Funder
Intermediary organizations are increasingly being engaged to work with grantees in the context of collective impact and similar collaborative approaches that aim to solve significant societal problems. At times the backbone organization – the group providing support to the collective effort – takes on the work of a fiscal intermediary. This dual role has two distinct functions: engagement of collaborative partners to advance a shared agenda, and …
If You Build It, They Will Come
Learning is a key tool for foundations seeking to improve their effectiveness, and they are beginning to use evaluation to learn about and improve their strategies. The Colorado Trust took this a step further and integrated strategic learning into a grant strategy, including supporting learning coaches for 14 of their grantees. · The strategic learning framework consisted of three steps: systematic data collection, collective interpretation of in…
Strategy Resilience
Public and private systems worldwide have been disrupted by COVID-19, cutting across all types of philanthropic priorities. Amid this uncertainty, some philanthropic strategies have struggled to find their footing while others have adapted easily, harnessing previously unanticipated opportunities to achieve change. Why have some philanthropic strategies been more successful than others? What wisdom can we draw from this moment that can help us pr…
Strategy Design Amid Complexity
Increasingly, foundations recognize the importance of designing adaptive strategies that can respond to complex environments and problems. Recent articles have cautioned against practices common in strategic philanthropy that hinder the ability of foundations and grantees to account for changing contexts and adapt their strategies accordingly. But understanding the importance of and barriers to adaptive strategy is not sufficient. Foundations now…
When Backbone Organizations Become the Funder
Intermediary organizations are increasingly being engaged to work with grantees in the context of collective impact and similar collaborative approaches that aim to solve significant societal problems. At times the backbone organization – the group providing support to the collective effort – takes on the work of a fiscal intermediary. This dual role has two distinct functions: engagement of collaborative partners to advance a shared agenda, and …
Learning Amid Disruption
The philanthropic sector has come to recognize the importance of bringing a systems lens to its work, seeking to influence upstream drivers of complex problems, and being adaptive in its approaches instead of implementing static, multiyear plans. Yet, integrating these concepts into practice continues to pose a challenge. Humanity United — a foundation dedicated to cultivating the conditions for enduring freedom and peace — had been grappling wit…
If You Build It, They Will Come
Learning is a key tool for foundations seeking to improve their effectiveness, and they are beginning to use evaluation to learn about and improve their strategies. The Colorado Trust took this a step further and integrated strategic learning into a grant strategy, including supporting learning coaches for 14 of their grantees. · The strategic learning framework consisted of three steps: systematic data collection, collective interpretation of in…
Strategy Design Amid Complexity
Increasingly, foundations recognize the importance of designing adaptive strategies that can respond to complex environments and problems. Recent articles have cautioned against practices common in strategic philanthropy that hinder the ability of foundations and grantees to account for changing contexts and adapt their strategies accordingly. But understanding the importance of and barriers to adaptive strategy is not sufficient. Foundations now…
When Backbone Organizations Become the Funder
Intermediary organizations are increasingly being engaged to work with grantees in the context of collective impact and similar collaborative approaches that aim to solve significant societal problems. At times the backbone organization – the group providing support to the collective effort – takes on the work of a fiscal intermediary. This dual role has two distinct functions: engagement of collaborative partners to advance a shared agenda, and …
Learning Amid Disruption
The philanthropic sector has come to recognize the importance of bringing a systems lens to its work, seeking to influence upstream drivers of complex problems, and being adaptive in its approaches instead of implementing static, multiyear plans. Yet, integrating these concepts into practice continues to pose a challenge. Humanity United — a foundation dedicated to cultivating the conditions for enduring freedom and peace — had been grappling wit…
Strategy Resilience
Public and private systems worldwide have been disrupted by COVID-19, cutting across all types of philanthropic priorities. Amid this uncertainty, some philanthropic strategies have struggled to find their footing while others have adapted easily, harnessing previously unanticipated opportunities to achieve change. Why have some philanthropic strategies been more successful than others? What wisdom can we draw from this moment that can help us pr…
Executive Summaries
This article describes the Transformative Impact Model, an approach to donor-led giving employed by the Wynn Resorts Foundation. In support of two capital improvement projects for a pair of nonprofits in Las Vegas, Nevada, the foundation lent its expertise, and leveraged its professional network to encourage and coordinate in-kind donations and cash gifts. In addition, the foundation's engagement of leadership and front
Lost Causal
What if philanthropic evaluations told us that changes in the world had occurred, as well as how and why they occurred, including in what ways foundation funding and grantees contributed to those changes? What if evaluations made change pathways more visible, tested hypotheses and assumptions, and generated new insights based on what happened in the “black box” of systems change strategies? This type of learning comes from causal analysis — inqui…
Lost Causal
Editor’s Note: This article, first published in print and online in 2022, has been republished by The Foundation Review with minor updates. What if philanthropic evaluations told us that changes in the world had occurred, as well as how and why they occurred, including whether what foundations funded and grantees did contributed to those changes? What if evaluations made change pathways more visible, tested hypotheses and assumptions, and generat…
Passing in the Dark
While the need for philanthropy to focus on systems change as a way to scale and sustain impact is now widely accepted, we see the sector largely failing to recognize that there are different mental models for how to change systems. Sometimes the approaches foundations use are based on competing mental models or models that are not a good fit for the systems, problems, strategies, or practices they are using. We see two mental models for systems …
Business (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Economics (4 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Engineering (3 works) · Public relations (3 works) · Causal analysis (2 works) · Community Development and Social Impact (2 works) · Complex Systems and Decision Making (2 works) · Evaluation and Performance Assessment (2 works)