Mission Measurement Thought Scraps Feed

Want to Make Your Message Stick?

AHenry — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:01:17 -0700

Did you know the average human sees over 5,000 advertisements a day? How many thousands of grant requests does a foundation receive each year? Each ad, each grant request, hopes to catch attention and inspire a change in thought or action. With all this clutter, how can you make your message stick?

Shock and awe…or data?

Friedman Lives? Another Backward Argument Against CSR

Cheryl — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:19:53 -0700

For the second time in as many months, I’m disappointed in the Wall Street Journal’s choice to publish tired opinions and outdated views of corporate social responsibility.

Measuring the R in CSR...And It's Not What You Think

Cheryl — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:36:09 -0700

The following excerpt is taken from an article by Jason Saul and Cheryl Davenport currently featured on CRO Magazine's website and to be published in the October print edition.

$950 Million of Social Impact

Mission Measurement — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:21 -0700

As a mission-driven organization itself, Mission Measurement strives to measure and increase its own social impact. The scope of this impact can be seen in the investments made by the organizations with whom we work – from school networks to Fortune 100 corporations to social service nonprofits. Through our work, we help organizations examine and realign their budgets to maximize their impact, both internally and through grantmaking and other investments.

Of What Value is Value-Added Data?

Rick — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:00:07 -0700

A fascinating study and article by the LA Times discusses the role of value-added analysis in teacher evaluation. This is a controversial subject, at least among teachers unions and politicians. The role of value-added evaluation is presented most often as an input in to firing decisions, with the question being one of proportion relative to other inputs in to the evaluation. This does education measurement a disservice.

BusinessWeek Features Mission Measurement

Mission Measurement — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:59:31 -0700

BusinessWeek has recently published their list of the 25 Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs. Below is an excerpt from the interview:

The Right Measures Are The Ones That Matter

Sbasak — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:29:13 -0700

Stanford Social Innovation Review just published a wonderful article by Geoff Mulgan entitled "Measuring Social Value."

It is very timely, in fact, because it continues the commentary of a recent Thoughtscrap by my colleague, Rick Groves, which provides a compelling argument on the need for the right data, whether quantitative or qualitative, when measuring social impact as opposed to data for data sake.

I will let you all read through this piece but will offer up some of my favorite points:

The Dynamic Duo of Philanthropy Strikes Again

Sbasak — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:48:59 -0700

It’d be fair to say Bill Gates and Warren Buffett make up the Dynamic Duo of the philanthropy world. Much like Batman and Robin, Gates and Buffett seem to be able to surprise the world when we least expect it, fighting social problems for the greater good with their immense wealth. They have quickly and smartly realized that with wealth comes power, and with power comes responsibility. More than ever before, the public is looking to the world’s elite to solve social problems because they have the means to scale social efforts with Batmobile-like speed.

Do Measures Matter?

Rick — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:10:49 -0700

You've done an evaluation and you're doing ongoing performance measurement. You are on top of your measurement game. You have all this hard data that suggests what you're doing works and that your model deserves to be grown to scale. But you're struggling to get people to listen. You believe you deserve their support, but can't seem to get potential funders, policy makers, etc. to see it the same way. Why?

Building Better College Success Strategies

Pranav — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:16:22 -0700

On Thursday July 22, 2010, the College Board hosted a convening of education leaders to address now ongoing concerns about college attainment rates in the United States. They have followed a long train of education stakeholders including Grantmakers for Education, the National Governors Association, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Obama Administration that have shined intense light on the college attainment deficits in the US. Like nearly all education and social challenges, the causes are multidimensional and the parties necessary to solve the problems are equally broad and varied.

'A' for Effort, Malaysia

Sbasak — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:32:12 -0700

Here’s a challenge: next time you are on an international flight, grab the in-flight magazine and see if you can find an advertisement from a European or Asian country touting their ideal conditions for setting up a business. Many of the advertisements discuss in great detail their pro-business policies and highly educated workforce as well as the necessary infrastructure to make your overseas enterprise successful.

The Cult and Fetish of Corporate Social Responsibility

Cheryl — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:36:55 -0700

In an opinion piece in last week’s Washington Post, the respected author and global editor of Thomson Reuters, Chrystia Freeland, blasted corporate social responsibility as a “cult” and a “fetish.” At first glance, I found Ms.

Need Directions? State Your Destination.

Cheryl — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:41:02 -0700

What if we did a webinar? Or took more grant applications? Or created a foundation? Or launched a new community program? Or gave out more money? My clients regularly toss around questions like these as they search for novel strategies and new ideas in social impact. While these kinds of brainstorming sessions are fun and exciting, they can also be risky, even futile, if not linked to goals and objectives.

Defining School Success

mtallentbennis — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:28:41 -0700

Ed Week's Article, “A Kentucky High School Gears Up Amid Building Pressure for Change”, is the first report in a series that will chronicle the transformation of Shawnee High School in Louisville, KY over the 2010-11 school year. While the principal was retained, at least 50% of the HS staff must be replaced as defined by the Dept. of Education’s turnaround model.

One school’s recipe for comprehensive high school turnaround

mtallentbennis — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:23:22 -0700

This week’s EdWeek profiled a Massachusetts high school, M.C. Durfee, and its march toward improved graduation rates and cultural renovation (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/06/10/34suburban.h29.html?tkn=UMUFgg6gxdvwya%2BRnkRGMNAn7ARw5aeicTs3&cmp=clp-edweek).

Does Impact Really Matter to Donors?

Kim — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:32:00 -0700

Does impact really matter to donors?

Ideas + Data = A Formula for Innovation Success

Cheryl — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:37:34 -0700

It’s 18 months into the launch of an African development program and we’re rethinking our client’s logic model. “Uh oh,” you say, “why wasn’t this fully baked from the get-go?” As it turns out, the opportunity to revisit and revise theories, logic and ideas is truly terrific. It’s terrific because the organization has invested in measurement and now has the data to inform and improve its strategy and produce greater if not significantly greater impact later.

It Takes a Whole Team to Achieve Impact

Rick — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:16:06 -0700

Every offense in football shares the same mission: score points. The best way to score points is the touchdown (big news, I know). To do this, teams utilize a combination of players with different skill sets suited to a number of different roles. Quarterbacks take the ball and put it in the hands of running backs and wide receivers who elude would-be tacklers as they advance the ball downfield. These "skill position" players score the touchdowns and get the accompanying glory. Every fall, millions of fantasy football owners across the country obsess over touchdowns and the skill position players who score them. But that's only half of the story.

Learning for Social Impact: McKinsey's Perspective

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:09:47 -0700