Glasspockets Find: 2012 Joyce Foundation Annual Report June 3, 2013

"Replicating success—using the wheels we have instead of inventing new ones—...requires the constant flow of information through multiple channels."

So says Ellen Alberding, president and board member of the Joyce Foundation, in her letter inviting us to read more about the foundation’s work in its new 2012 Annual Report. The statement nicely underscores the importance of knowledge sharing in a field built on experimenting with new approaches and solutions.

In our work on Glasspockets we are always looking for real life examples from the field of how greater transparency and accountability serve to benefit foundations, and by extension, the greater good. Ms. Alberding lists four ways that informed research serves the foundation: it keeps the foundation connected to the big picture; it provides necessary feedback and direction; it raises questions that suggest new approaches to its work; and it challenges its preconceived notions.

The Joyce Foundation’s annual report opens with an easy-to-like "We Hear You" infographic that others might want to adapt. No need to keep reinventing the wheel! The issues of interest to the Joyce Foundation affect us all and are far too big for any one organization to address. This report reminds us of this obvious truth that is sometimes hiding in plain sight.

-- Mark Foley