Measuring and Improving Social Impact from Mission Measurement

Corporate Social Responsibility

What’s in it for Me? Communicating the Business Value of CSR

The first time a client used the term “WIIFM” (pronounced whiff-um) in a sentence as though it were a real word, I thought perhaps she was speaking another language or using an industry-specific expression that I wasn’t familiar with. I quickly learned that WIIFM is not only a part of the English language but also a concept that’s relevant to every industry and every project I’ve worked on…..more

Education

Using School Cultural Indicators as a GPS to Student Outcomes

In our quest to achieve a positive change in student outcomes, school culture indicators give us another data point to consider in the complex and ever changing equation for student success. As critical as knowing the quality of a teacher in his/her classroom, or the number of students served by a particular curricular implementation, having data that shows whether a school is on the right track for developing its desired cultural environment empowers principals and school staff…more

Nonprofits & Foundations

Ratings and Results: Charity Navigator’s Expanded Focus

We often start our workshops and training sessions with examples of Charity Navigator’s nonprofit ratings data. We compare an organization with a four star rating to one with a one star rating based on the data and ask the group to select the organization that should receive a $10,000 grant. Needless to say, in the absence of better information, the majority of the group selects the organization with the four star rating…more