Report Shows Worst Practices in Government and Nonprofits

The Burning Glass Institute published a report about the worst practices they found in government and nonprofit work. Instead of just looking for best practices, they asked what organizations should stop doing wrong. They surveyed people from foundations, government, and nonprofits to learn about common mistakes. The biggest problems they found include: chasing 'magic bullet' solutions that don't exist, measuring success in ways that make programs look good instead of being honest, refusing to evaluate programs at all, spending too much time planning instead of taking action, and using expensive consultants instead of hiring full-time staff. The report also talks about problems in higher education, like how college completion rates are rising but there are fewer non-college workers available. They found that organizations often focus on innovation instead of fixing basic problems. The authors want people to stop making these common mistakes so programs can work better. This research helps government agencies and nonprofits understand what doesn't work so they can improve their services for communities.