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… ...

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.   ...

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 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: ...

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.” ...

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… ...

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? ...

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: ...

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. ...

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 ...