Earlier this year, I was invited to lecture about impact measurement for a number of different social enterprise-related classes, both as part of academic programs and incubators. While I mostly stayed fairly practical, 'academic-lite', I thought it would be useful to give an overview of what the field of impact measurement looks like and the options and tools out there.
The Social Enterprise Institute (SEI) provides short, on-demand eLearning on a variety of topics that address planning and operational needs of new and mature social enterprises alike. This includes aspects of planning, marketing, pricing, operation and more. Courses have clear learning objectives which are developed through practical activities, and each course is a great gateways for learning with clear direction on where to learn more.
In a recent blog, I described some work that Vancity Community Foundation had led to develop a societal cost calculator for work integration social enterprises (WISE) in Vancouver. Another aspect of the project, was to develop a shared impact map and indicators. While individual social enterprises within Vancouver differ in the goods and services they produce and the way in which they engage individuals who are marginalized, they are
There are some pretty interesting events coming up that relate to evaluation, measuring social impact and data visualizations. I would love to attend them all!
The Social Enterprise Institute was launched last year to offer on-demand eLearning courses relating to different aspects of launching and strengthening social enterprises. It is geared to make it easier for people to learn about topics that specifically interest them, wherever they may be, and whenever they want.
