A new study from the Urban Institute finds little consensus among foundations executives about the meaning of "effectiveness" as it relates to philanthropy, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Based on interviews with sixty-one foundation CEOs and/or board chairs, the study, Foundation Effectiveness: Definition and Challenges (16 pages, PDF), by Francie Ostrower, found little consensus among foundation executives about what it means to be effective, with responses seeming to vary according to foundation type. For example, community foundation heads tended to cite the test of public responsiveness that the IRS specifically requires of such organizations as the true test of effectiveness, while heads of other foundations cited such measures as achieving a good return on assets, having an impact, and keeping relatives engaged in the foundation's work.

"People speak as if the lack of advanced quantitative measures is what is holding foundations back from effectiveness," said Ostrower, who authored an earlier Urban Institute study that revealed a disconnect between what grantmakers say is needed to be effective and what they practice. "The problem is in some ways more basic — thoughtfulness."