Issues & Ideas

Measurement in the time of COVID-19

Bryn Sadownik — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 23:02:30 +0000

In the space of weeks, countless community-based organizations have had to shift what they are doing while being faced with reduced staff hours, fewer volunteers, disruptions to revenue, social distancing restrictions and other constraints. Yet the demand and need for many services that non-profits and social enterprises deliver are high. New needs are emerging, and many programs are being introduced. Across the community – in h

Planning your Intended Change

Bryn Sadownik — Wed, 27 May 2020 20:35:58 +0000

By planning your intended change, you’re breaking down the big, awesome visionary change that is very challenging to measure, into more immediate and visible steps. In this way, impact measurement is more possible and useful. It’s also about breaking out what you can influence and then making the link between that and the bolder, systems-level change that you seek.

It is time to revise the “Gold Standard” of Impact Measurement and Evaluation Design

Bryn Sadownik — Tue, 26 May 2020 17:57:58 +0000

A goal of impact measurement is to be able to clearly identify and measure the net, positive effects that result directly from the activities of an initiative, program or social enterprise. This could make it clearer for impact investors about what they invest in, what strategies and models are most effective, and how to replicate and scale what matters.

Business Performance Measurement: Why Measure more than Financials?

Bryn Sadownik — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 18:01:23 +0000

The starting point for most social enterprises in measurement is to set up a bookkeeping system to track money in and money out. While financial bookkeeping and accounting are fundamental to running a business, it may also be useful to track other aspects of business performance early on to be able to make good operational and planning decisions.

Rate your data collection

Bryn Sadownik — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 20:53:45 +0000

Impact Measurement explained in 5 minutes

Bryn Sadownik — Wed, 03 May 2017 17:31:26 +0000

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.

Shared Measurement: WISE Impact Map and Indicators

Bryn Sadownik — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 18:12:22 +0000

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

Do-it-yourself Surveys: Design Tips

Bryn Sadownik — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 20:41:30 +0000

Tools like Survey Monkey and Fluid Survey are low or no-cost, easy to use and accessible to anyone with e-mail. But this also means there are many more surveys out there as well as other competing demands on people’s attention. It is more important than ever, to design an effective survey that yields data that you can act on.

Here are some design tips to help:

Creating more Community Value from the Holiday Season

Bryn Sadownik — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 20:44:42 +0000

We take a break from 'Demonstrating Value' to think about 'Creating Value', and specifically how we can create more value from our activities during the holiday season. Here are five ideas:

1. Increase your impact when you give

Social impact:

Helpful Ratios to Balance Social Mission and Business

Bryn Sadownik — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 23:30:21 +0000

In the Quest for Big Data, Don’t Forget the Little Data!

Bryn Sadownik — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 19:23:50 +0000

In our growing excitement about the power of Big Data, it easy to overlook the importance of using the ‘little data’ out there. These are the data that organizations already collect, but which may not be used to their full potential. Time spent summarizing, analyzing and using data is as important as collecting it! Here are five simple tips for getting more from your data:

Look beyond the conventional and obvious

Bryn Sadownik — Wed, 27 May 2015 19:11:59 +0000

Though I don’t follow baseball much, I do know enough that stats are a big part of the game. Thus this anecdote in Michael J. Mauboussin's article "The True Measures of Success" in the Harvard Business Review is pretty interesting:

Why bother with measurement? 10 tips for making the case and finding the time

Bryn Sadownik — Tue, 05 May 2015 23:57:09 +0000

Among competing management and planning priorities, it is not always easy to make time for improving systems to measure and communicate organizational performance and impact. You also need to have solid buy-in for the process from others around you, including both leadership and front-line staff.

The Story Behind the Metric: Is Vancouver the 2nd or 215th Least Affordable City?

Bryn Sadownik — Tue, 05 May 2015 17:24:26 +0000

Over the past few years, I have often heard that ‘Vancouver is the second least affordable city in the world.’ I usually use this metric to feel sorry for myself that I didn’t buy real estate right when I moved here 20 years ago.

When people say the word "world", I usually picture this:

The Value of Art and Culture (Part 3 of Connecting the Dots: Helpful Frameworks for Measuring Action and Impact)

Bryn Sadownik — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 18:35:47 +0000

Some of the most challenging impacts to define and measure relate to the value of arts and culture. While it is quite common to see output numbers like attendance and participation rates for arts and culture-related initiatives, rarely do we see measures that relate to deeper impacts.