Daniel and the rhinoceros

This paper examines ways in which funders often do harm in the name of good by focusing on randomized control experiments over all other evaluation methods when helping not-for-profit organizations improve the effectiveness of their programs. It offers a critique of current practice and suggests ways in which foundations might work usefully and productively with grantees on evaluation-related capacity-building. Using a biblical example of an early evaluation, it notes how even simple evaluations that fall short of meeting the criteria of the randomized experiment can be really meaningful, useful and cost-effective for both grantee organizations and funders.