Connecting Learning, Performance and Accountability to Advance Impact

The Organizational Learning and Effectiveness (OLE) team was formed in 2020 to help guide the staff to think differently about how we measure the outcomes of our work and where learning plays into our understanding of progress and success, with ultimate accountability to the communities that are served. We seek to understand, measure and share how our work contributes to advancing the outcomes and impact we seek. We also seek to understand how effectively we are showing up as funders and the specific difference our actions are making. 

The foundation’s strategic approach is applied to our objective-setting and learning approaches, which connect learning, performance and accountability. Our learning practices have built-in flexibility and quarterly opportunities for reflection. As a board and staff, our team is trying to answer the impact question in a highly practical way, putting in place practices that allow for just-in-time assessment of progress and allow for change. These practices give teams the opportunity to pause, assess progress (or a lack thereof), share learnings and make decisions about what needs to adapt and shift. We see learning as not just a process but also an important outcome of our ongoing adaptive work.  

Our Learning Cycle