CAP Policy Analysis & Evaluation 5

Question 1

The 'attribution problem' in philanthropic evaluation refers to the difficulty of:

Accepted Answer

Crediting social change to a specific funder's contribution among many actors

Answer

Attribution is challenging when multiple funders, organizations, or societal forces contribute to the same outcome.

Question 2

In evaluating a charitable policy's equity outcomes, 'disaggregated data' is essential because it:

Accepted Answer

Reveals differential impacts across demographic subgroups

Answer

Disaggregating data by race, income, gender, or geography exposes whether a policy benefits all groups equally or perpetuates disparities.

Question 3

A CAP advisor recommends a 'developmental evaluation' approach to a new social innovation fund. This is most appropriate when:

Accepted Answer

The initiative is exploratory and the model is still evolving

Answer

Developmental evaluation supports learning and adaptation in dynamic, innovative initiatives where the program model is not yet fixed.

Question 4

Which policy instrument is an example of a 'tax expenditure' in the context of charitable giving?

Accepted Answer

Charitable deduction allowed under the federal income tax code

Answer

Tax expenditures are revenue the government forgoes through deductions, credits, or exclusions—the charitable deduction is a primary example.

Question 5

When comparing two philanthropic programs using 'benchmarking,' advisors most commonly compare against:

Accepted Answer

The program's own historical performance or sector peers

Answer

Benchmarking typically uses historical baselines or comparable peer organizations in the same sector to assess relative performance.

(CAP) Certified Philanthropic Advisor Practice Test