Global non-profit venture fund Acumen recently hosted an #ImpactMatters Twitter chat on the future of impact measurement.
Acumen posed a variety of questions on everything from the role that impact measurement is playing in improving social enterprises today to the best practices for selecting metrics and much more. SOCAP Co-Founder and Convener Kevin Jones joined in the discussion with other experts from across the social enterprise spectrum including:
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Sasha Dichter, Chief Innovation Officer, Acumen
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Roy Steiner, Director of Learning and Impact, Omidyar Network
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Michael Slind, Senior Editor, Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR)
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Saurabh Lall, Research Director, Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE)
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Scott Overdyke, Senior Program and Planning Manager, Root Capital
One of the questions yielded a variety of great resources that can help you learn more about impact measurement. We’ve shared those responses with you here. You can also read the full #ImpactMatters Twitter chat on Storify.
@Acumen Q2: Are there free resources available for those of us looking to get better at measuring social impact?
Saurabh Lall @LallSaurabh
A2: Yes, take a look at the resources from @AspenANDE, @plusacumen, @Acumen, @RootCapital, @theGIIN, & @_EVPA_
Sasha Dichter @sashadichter
A2: Yes! Check out @Acumen Field Guide and @PlusAcumen’s #SocialImpact Course
Root Capital @RootCapital
Online JPAL Course
Case Foundation @CaseFoundation
A2: @BCorporation’s Quick Impact Assessment tool is great way for businesses to measure their impact
Root Capital @RootCapital
A2: #impinv specific resources: HBS paper http://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/Documents/MeasuringImpact.pdf
@SSIReview http://ssir.org/up_for_debate/article/impact_investing
Spectra Myers @SpectraYV
A2: Ripple effect mapping is another approach to understanding impact @UMNExt has a good overview: http://bit.ly/1QIZTzW
Case Foundation @CaseFoundation
A2: For ppl looking for a great primer on impact investing, our free Short Guide is a great resource: http://bit.ly/1JapEEV
Frances Sinha @FrancesSinha
A2: webinars, briefs on practical issues & microfinance practitioner experience http://www.sptf.info (outcomesworkinggroup)
Ogunte @ogunte
@Acumen A2 SROI data sources and financial proxies can be useful https://sroi.wikispaces.com/Data+sources+-+financial+proxies
Impact River @ImpactRiver
A2: The Global Impact Investing Network @theGIIN is great place to get guidance on impact measurement https://iris.thegiin.org/guidance
ANDE @AspenANDE
A5: For measuring #SGB impact, we encourage ANDE members to measure 5 core metrics: http://www.andeglobal.org/?page=ANDECoreMetrics
Learn More About Acumen’s Lean Data Approach
At SOCAP15 Sasha Dichter gave a SOCAPtv talk on Acumen’s Lean Data Initiative. He details cost and time efficient ways to collect better data, or “lean data,” with the hope of furthering both business and impact measurement goals.
