How do you know you know?

• Author: Doby, Cris
• Position: LETTERS - Letter to the editor

Georgia Levenson Keohane's review of Ken Stern's book, With Charity for All: Why Charities Are Failing and a Better Way to Give ["Charity Case"], makes note of the impacts of the social entrepreneurship movement on the effectiveness of philanthropy. In particular, she talks of the move toward "evidence-based grant making." I'm all for measurement across all sectors in society, but the question that must be deeply reflected upon and answered in regard to philanthropy is what constitutes "evidence." When striving to improve complex, interrelated social structures or create parallel...