Mission Measurement Thought Scraps Feed

Regain Trust in Government: Solve Social Problems

avery@missionmeasurement.com — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:44:24 -0700

This post originally appeared in GovLoop.

MM, Northwestern to Evaluate New Walmart Women's Initiative

Mission Measurement — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:49:31 -0700

Northwestern University—with social impact consulting firm Mission Measurement and international development experts DAI—will evaluate a newly announced Walmart initiative designed to empower 60,000 women working in factories supplying the multinational retail giant and other retailers.

The five-year initiative announced by Walmart earlier this month will target women in India, Bangladesh, China and Central America and, collaborating with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), teach them critical life skills including hygiene, communications, reproductive health and occupational health and safety.

Flux to Flex: Takeaways from the 2012 Skoll World Forum

Jason — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:00:33 -0700

The Skoll World Forum—an amazing alchemy of the world’s greatest social entrepreneurs, big thinkers, financiers, philanthropists, and academics—is often a zeitgeist of the latest thinking in the social sector, and this year didn’t disappoint. While the officially programmed theme of the conference was “flux,” the real themes played out in informal hallway chatter, over drinks with colleagues at the Oxford Retreat pub, and in the Twittersphere.

Having participated in a number of these informal “sessions”—in addition to moderating a formal one—I sat down to consider what I heard.

Is Sustainability Reporting a Barrier to Sustainable Strategy?

jwhite — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:09:51 -0700

Businesses increasingly see the value of sustainability initiatives and continue to develop new and innovative sustainability strategies. Yet something is holding many businesses back from deploying those efforts.

Stop Selling Guilt and Start Selling Impact

Mission Measurement — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:12:05 -0800

Guilt is not a product anyone loves.

That might sound obvious, but for most nonprofits, foundations and government agencies, guilt is the best product we’re selling. Our appeals for funding are built around psychic benefits—give us money and you’ll feel good. Yet as the funding pool continues to shrink and competition grows fiercer, selling guilt simply isn’t sustainable.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

CSR Can (and Must) Create Business Value

Mission Measurement — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:28:19 -0800

CSR programs are under ever-increasing pressure to be relevant—to provide tangible value to their parent companies. The problem is that few, if any, were designed to that.

We can’t create value out of thin air. Unquantifiable concepts like “brand reputation” and “shared value”, which attempt to do that, lose steam once they reach the boardroom. And “social responsibility” is no longer the differentiator it once was. “What’s the return?” CEOs are increasingly asking. The answer is almost guaranteed to be unsatisfying.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Measure Outcomes, Not Activities

Jason — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:00:01 -0800

In my recent Q&A with Insight Labs, I explore why nonprofits must measure outcomes, not activities, if they want to survive.

This excerpt that gets to the bottom of the current activity-focused mindset:

Social Innovation for the Fortune 500

Cheryl — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:12:39 -0800

Mission Measurement’s corporate practice is based on a simple premise: By focusing on the value of social impact outcomes, we can develop new corporate strategies that drive profit while doing good.

We call it the Social Value Proposition (SVP). It’s that sweet spot where profit intersects social impact. And it’s gaining traction with companies—from family-run mom and pops to the Fortune 50.

Over the last year, we’ve seen our approach to SVP-based strategies build momentum, as we formed partnerships with standard-bearers like PepsiCo, McDonalds, BMO Harris Bank, Cisco and The Walt Disney Company.

Social Entrepreneurship Takes Off

Pranav — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:34:04 -0800

One of the great pleasures of being at the forefront of a movement like social entrepreneurship is to witness its evolution and progress from the front row. Opportunities to work with new start-ups are the best chance to see what the next-generation of social innovators is doing with the ideas we pioneered.

I recently had the opportunity to serve as a mentor to three up-and-coming social entrepreneurs in Chicago who focus on education and youth development outcomes.

Guide to Outcomes-based Strategies and Brainstorms

Cheryl — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:53:06 -0700

Download Measurement Drives Strategy: A Guide to Outcomes-Based Strategic Planning and Program Design

Restoring Civility in the Public Sector: A Recap of the 37th Annual Donors Forum Luncheon

vdao — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:02:25 -0700

Boeing, Walgreens, the Speh Foundation, Crowe Horwath LLP, the MacArthur Foundation, Easter Seals, the American Cancer Society—and Mission Measurement were among the corporations and organizations that lined the tables in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel.

What could draw such an impressive roster? The Donors Forum Luncheon.

On Wednesday, June 29th the Donors Forum held their 37th annual luncheon which offered nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, corporations, consultants, and civil servants the opportunity to discuss and learn about critical issues currently facing the nation, particularly in the nonprofit sector. Noted columnist

Standardized Testing vs. Education Measurement

Rick — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 11:30:34 -0700

Settling the Debt: NYC’s Chance to Collect on Improving the Nonprofit Sector

vdao — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:30:30 -0700

New York City is giving nonprofits a reprieve. But will the City get any bang for its buck?

Next Steps in Corporate Reporting

jshepherd@missionmeasurement.com — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:54:36 -0700

Several weeks ago I wrote a post on corporate responsibility reporting and ended it with this thought – “More targeted metrics that tell the story of how CR initiatives have impacted both communities and the business would be at least a step in the right direction.” I recently came across some work done by two professors at the Harvard Business School that explores a burgeoning development in reporting which could prove to be one of these progressive steps. This development would help companies to better communicate their social impact in a more material and holistic way.

Sustainability is in, but is Excel?

jwhite — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:17:29 -0700

According to Accenture’s “A New Era of Sustainability” report, CEOs around the globe have begun to embrace sustainability and are bringing sustainability concepts out of their strategy groups and pushing them through their operations and supply chains. The report summarizes the findings of an extensive survey of more than 700 UN Global Compact members on sustainability topics. The report is optimistic, pointing to signs that business are starting to see the implications of not implementing sustainability efforts, and therefore starting to actively work towards operationalizing these efforts.

Charting Impact: A New Framework for the Sector

AHenry — Tue, 24 May 2011 08:33:36 -0700

Donors want to help charitable organizations make a difference, yet they often struggle to find succinct, consistent information about their investment options. Most of today's nonprofit databases and rating agencies rely too much on financial metrics. This frustrates donors who care about outcomes. It also frustrates nonprofits who want to be evaluated based on their results, not just an overhead ratio.

Just Do It: Nike's Leadership in Sustainable Business

Sbasak — Thu, 19 May 2011 13:24:01 -0700

Hannah Jones gets it.

Metrics, Measurement, and Money – The Potential Value of Social Impact Bonds

jshepherd@missionmeasurement.com — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:36:23 -0700

Last week I read an article on the Huffington Post’s Impact Blog that highlighted a relatively recent innovation in the realm of government finance - social impact bonds (SIBs). SIBs are bond offerings specifically designed to fund social outcomes. The premise behind this new idea is simple and makes a lot of intuitive sense.

Metrics and Microfinance

jshepherd@missionmeasurement.com — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:56:17 -0700

The microfinance industry seems to have gotten a lot of attention lately. Especially since Muhammad Yunus’ forced step down from his position at the head of Grameen bank in March, there’s been some renewed media interest in the microfinance movement, and the press certainly hasn’t all been positive. A recent article published by the U.K.’s The Independent adds to the chorus calling for reforms.

The Inability to Calculate for Profit

Rick — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:12:44 -0700

In response to a blog post on Education Week this morning, "Conservative 'Mainfesto Blasts Shared Curriculum, Tests", commentar Daniel J. Fallon said: "It is the inability to calculate for profit that destroys the rationality of tax funded schooling."