Mission Measurement Blog Feed

Measuring the Contents of your Grocery Cart

Allison — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:01:19 -0700

To all of you who thought comparing apples and oranges was impossible – think again. Scientists at Yale University’s Griffin Prevention Research Center have developed a food scoring system intended to help consumers make better decisions about the food they eat. Using a scale from 1-100, the algorithm scores foods ranging from apples to oranges to hamburgers to tomato soup to…

When Measurement Becomes a Lose-Lose Situation

Allison — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:29:32 -0700

A lot can change in 10 years. But can high school drop-out rates be cut in half by 2018? United Way of America (UWA) recently announced, among other things, that it will strive to do just that. At first blush, this is an impressive statement! At second glance, one wonders how UWA will accomplish this, given that decades of effort and millions of dollars have failed to solve the issue.

Carbon Dieting Without a Scale

Jonathan — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:34:14 -0700

For consumers looking to reduce the size of their carbon footprint, an examination of the food they purchase seems like a logical place to begin. Aside from sleeping and working (for better or worse), what aspect of day-to-day existence owns a more prevalent role than eating? Environmentalists have numerous suggestions about how to green our diets. Just as nutritionists refer dieters to the Nutrition Facts label, environmentalists would like to guide food purchases based on a Carbon label placed on each product. And much like traditional dieting fads, eco-dieting advice has changed dramatically in recent years, as the environmental efficiency of food becomes more accurately measured.

What do Nonprofit Executives Talk About?

Allison — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:38:38 -0700

What is on the minds of today’s nonprofit executives? Leading topics of conversation include mission translation, measurement, and benchmarking. Susan Colby, a Partner at Bridgespan, shared her insights through a discussion hosted by Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation:

1. Always start with mission. Mission statements are broad, aspirational, and inspiring; they don’t tell you what to do Monday morning. To fill that gap in practical application, the following questions must be answered:

Client Aha!: Using Outcomes to Guide Grantee Proposal Acceptance

Kim — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:35:23 -0700

Recently, a client asked me to review a new grant proposal that they received from a current grantee. The proposal outlined a very interesting new project to address issues of interest to our client – a funder. As we discussed the proposal, I asked “Which of your priority outcomes does this grant help you to accomplish?”

My client colleague said “Hmmm, I am not sure. This is a great partner, a good organization and work that seems really interesting, but as I look at our Impact Framework (an organized list of the funder’s priority outcomes that they aim to achieve), I am not clear about how this new project fits with the things that we have articulated as our priority outcomes.”

Why Traditional Strategic Planning Isn't Strategic

jason — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:12:35 -0700

Great article below! Yesterday at the Kellogg School of Management class that I teach, I proclaimed “strategic planning” dead. Morbid, I know. But the point is that “old school” tools and consulting techniques– like strategic planning, board governance and program evaluation - are increasingly irrelevant in today’s world of social change. Instead these are being replaced by new more business-derived techniques like Benchmarking, Success Equations, even dare I say Logic Models. These new set of tools are practitioner-focused, easy-to-use, non-academic and tied directly to mission success. Anyway, the below is further to the point…

Death, Taxes, and Shoveling Deaths

Jonathan — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:51:12 -0800

It’s that time of year again in Chicago: winter. Its arrival was marked by the first snowfall and, just as predictably, the first story about a shoveling-related death. Local media outlets were quick to pronounce the dangers of shoveling and lament the deaths of the citizens who dare to clear the sidewalks in front of their homes. But is shoveling really as dangerous as the nightly news makes it out be?

College Access : Baseline :: College Success : Benchmark

Pranav — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:33:49 -0800

SAT flashbacks? Good. That will get you in the right state of mind for what follows.

We had a chance to attend the “The Real Story about Going to College” in Richmond, VA on January 22, 2008. The panel discussion was hosted by America’s Student Loan Providers, College Parents of America, ECMC Foundation and The Educational Policy Institute. Some notes from the session:

CSR & Financial Performance: Asking the Right Questions

Claire Moroni — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:04:16 -0800

In their recent contribution to the Harvard Business Review, Doing Well By Doing Good? Don’t Count on It, Joshua Margolis and Hillary Anger Elfenbein rekindle the venerable debate on the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and financial performance. Since its inception, CSR has struggled to build legitimacy against forces pressing corporate social and environmental strategies to demonstrate a direct, causal relationship with stock performance.

When can we expect more compelling SRI options?

Allison — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:15:13 -0800

Historically, investors pursuing socially responsible investment (SRI) strategies have been forced to choose among imperfect investment solutions. An evaluation of current investment products which incorporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria reveals some seeming contradictions. Are SRI funds truly meeting the needs of socially conscious investors by excluding Starbucks – a company respected by many for its sustainable supply chain practices and strong employee relations – because the company licensed its brand to promote an alcohol product? Should CSR ranking

Socially Responsible Corporate Holiday Giving?

erin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:58:46 -0800

While holiday shopping is a tradition for many Americans, our awareness of the causes associated with seasonal spending, seems to impact how we shop. Sites like the NewAmericanDream.com have created a Conscious Consumer Marketplace that suggests fair trade and environmentally friendly gifts. “The environment is increasingly on consumers' radar screens," according to the 22nd Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends, commissioned by Deloitte.

Measurement Resonates in BusinessWeek and Grant Thornton's 15th Survey of U.S. Business Leaders

erin — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:11:37 -0800

According to Grant Thornton’s 15th Survey of U.S. Business Leaders, 77% of executives say that corporate responsibility will have a major impact on their business strategies over the next few years, and 76% agree it can enhance a company’s profitability. Read the survey report, Corporate responsibility: Burden or opportunity?, conducted in partnership with BusinessWeek Research Services, to find out how business leaders are answering such questions as:

Benchmarking CSR/Sustainability Reporting

jason — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:00:52 -0800

A study produced this month shows 82% of the largest global companies produce social responsibility reports, but the reports lack comparable quantitative measures. The study was led by 3 financial management firms: WestLB AG, Walden Asset Management, and Trillium Asset Management.

Applied Measurement: Got All This Data...Now What?

jason — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:06:54 -0700

A number of our clients have recently been working with us to push into the next frontier of measurement - beyond merely collecting data how do we operationalize outcomes data within the organization to improve decision making? We've referred to this as "Applied Measurement". The areas of Applied Measurement include: inform

Center for Effective Philanthropy Conference - Foundation Strategy

Pranav — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:30:29 -0700

The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) held their annual conference in Chicago, IL earlier this month. I had the chance to attend the entire conference and will be sharing some of what I learned over the two days of plenary sessions, breakout groups and casual conversations with philanthropic colleagues.

CRO Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens (2007)

Pranav — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:23:57 -0800

Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine recently released its list of 100 Best Corporate Citizens for 2007. The list is developed through extensive analysis that measures companies against social and environmental characteristics of a good corporate citizen.

Why Corporations Care

jason — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 17:25:46 -0800

Philanthropy is fast becoming one of the hottest business strategies of the decade. Hung over from drinking too much CSR KoolAid (and wary from writing fancy reports that no one reads), companies are finding that philanthropy is a more strategic instrument. While CSR at best disproves a negative ("honestly, we're not bad, look, we're complying with all the rules..."), philanthropy is more pro-active and controllable. The subject is getting surprisingly high billing in the mainstream business press. Here are the latest headlines and research that we've seen in recent weeks:

Measuring Grants: Funder Ties Grants to Outcomes

jason — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:02 -0800

Todd Cohen of the Philanthropy Journal has got his finger on the pulse. His recent article on "outcomes planning" approach taken by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is spot-on-the-mark.

Setting the Right Benchmark: Measuring Performance of NCLB

jason — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 20:06:36 -0800

The New York Times Magazine article What it Will Really Take to Close the Education Gap points up a common challenge in measurement and benchmarking: we often set our benchmarks too high. Doing so can undermine credibility and ultimately support for a particular strategy. Take the case of No Child Left Behind, the ambitious law that requires states to achieve 100% proficiency in reading and math for all students "not later than 12 years after the end of the 2001-2002 school year."

What's the Impact of a Conference? China's African Forum

jason — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 23:24:29 -0800

One of the first principles in measurement we teach is that you can't measure an activity, only an outcome. However, there are certain exceptional circumstances where the outcome is the activity. Conferences are a prime example. Many government agencies or foundations that fund a conference measure the activity - did the the conference happen, or not?