Understanding_Social_Investment. JPA-Existing-VP-Funds-A-Preliminary-Overview. Impact and Measurement. We have compiled a list of selected resources on impact and measurement to serve as a starting point for individuals and organizations interested in this topic.
Kramer, Mark et al, "Breakthroughs in Shared Measurement and Social Impact," FSG Social Impact Consultants, July 2009. Root Cause, "Learning from Performance Measurement: Investing in What Works," Social Innovation Forum, 2008. Tuan, Melinda T., "Measuring and/or Estimating Social Value Creation: Insights Into Eight Integrated Cost Approaches," Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, December 2008. Kirsch Foundation Venture Philanthropy: The New Model.
"Venture Philanthropy," "social venture philanthropy," "the new philanthropy," "social venturing," and other terms abound in today’s discussions, particularly among professionals involved in the high-tech, venture capital and foundation worlds.
What is "venture philanthropy" and does it actually differ from charitable giving, as we’ve known it? Is it simply a new generation of individuals who are engaged in philanthropic efforts? And what is meant by “social entrepreneurship,” and what is its attraction to current philanthropists? Venture Philanthropy Partners, together with Community Wealth Ventures, published a report in 2004 called "High-Engagement Philanthropy: A Bridge to a More Effective Social Sector," profiling the relationships between funders and organizations they support. 'Social Outcomes': Missing the Forest for the Trees? January 2010 For the past month, I have worked through draft after draft of this column as I've struggled to properly express my concern about the growing movement to advance "social outcomes"—as well as "impact," "measurement," "metrics," "evaluation," "accountability," and a half-dozen other related concepts—for nonprofit organizations.
Here is my concern, as best as I can manage to articulate it. I am increasingly worried that the vast majority of funders and nonprofits are achieving, at best, marginal benefit from their efforts to implement outcomes thinking.