Lessons learned: when ideas met reality

March 4, 2011 by Blandin Foundation Posted in Vibrant Rural

For anybody trying to make our communities a better place to live, especially those tackling poverty, a recent report out of the Northwest Area Foundation has amazing value.  They looked hard at their ideas, processes and practices over their ten years exploring ways to reduce poverty.

The bottom line?  President and CEO Kevin Walker bravely shares that, “We failed to implement our ideas consistently and effectively.  What seemed excellent in theory became very thorny in practice, and we struggled to adapt successfully in response to the lessons reality taught us.”

The report (“Gaining Perspective: Lessons Learned From One Foundation’s Exploratory Decade“),  a related podcast and Walker’s “Case for Candor” blog post offer lessons for us all.