Join one of BTW’s founders, Fay Twersky, as she discusses the importance of the philanthropic community in listening to the perspectives of their intended beneficiaries in her Chronicle of Philanthropy article, “Foundations Can Learn a Lot From the People They Want to Help.”

Ellen Irie and Kim Ammann Howard were selected to present at the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference, Evaluation 2011: Values and Valuing in Evaluation. The conference will take place November 2-5 in Anaheim, CA and will include Ellen Irie’s demonstration session, “Fairness for Participants in Evaluation Studies: An Easy-to-Use Toolkit to Identify Issues for Consideration”, and Kim Ammann Howard’s panel session, “Evaluating Networks: The Evolving Practices, Their Promises and Perils.”  For more information about BTW’s participation in the conference, visit our Presentations page.

BTW is pleased to announce that Kim Ammann Howard’s session, “Building Capacity to Promote Community Health,” has been selected for the American Public Health Association’s 139th Annual Meeting (October 29–November 2, 2011) in Washington, DC.  For more information about Kim’s session, visit our Presentation page.

BTW is excited to be a part of the Cal Career Center Externship Program. We will be hosting a sophomore extern from the University of California, Berkeley. Our extern will observe BTW’s daily work, shadow staff and explore the role of consulting in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors

The Jewish Daily Forward, a national weekly newspaper, recently published an Editorial entitled “Making Service Matter” in response to BTW’s report The Worth of What They Do.

On Monday, December 13, BTW Principal Ellen Irie participated in conference call with Jon Rosenberg, CEO of Repair the World, to announce the results of a recent study by BTW. Around sixty five attendees listened to Ellen present highlights from the exploratory study which examines the effects of immersive Jewish service-learning (IJSL) projects on the communities they serve. Podcasts of this presentation will soon be available.

Fay Twersky, one of the original co-founders of BTW informing change, recently moved to Jerusalem to spend a year as a Senior Advisor to Yad Hanadiv (Rothschild Foundation).  Last spring, Twersky chaired an International Visiting Committee consisting of Paul Brest from the Hewlett Foundation, Carla Javits from REDF and Martin Brookes from New Philanthropy Capital (UK). A new report based on the Committee’s visit, explores current trends, challenges and ideas for improvement related to measurement and evaluation in Israel’s nonprofit sector. Prior to moving to Jerusalem, Fay spent four years working as Director of Impact Planning and Improvement at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In November 2010, Ellen Irie, along with other experts from the fields of leadership development and service, will participate in a week-long “study tour” in Israel convened by Masa Israel Journey. Masa Israel Journey is a joint project of the Government of Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel and serves as an umbrella organization for over 160 long-term Israel service experiences (e.g., gap year programs, study abroad experiences, internship and volunteer opportunities). During the study tour, Ellen and other participants will meet with service program staff and participants, talk with Israeli policymakers and exchange challenges and best practices for developing leaders through service programs.