In partnership with Purposeful Projects Group, Maribeth Canning Consulting conducted a survey of 141 nonprofit and corporate leaders to examine differences in giving perspectives. When surveyed, corporate funders cite impact data and stories to be the single most effective cultivation method for nonprofits seeking to engage businesses philanthropically.
The astute fundraiser understands how critical accountability and transparency are in building trust- relationships with funders. Our responsibility is to communicate a compelling, urgent case for support and call to action. Data emphasizes our credibility and underscores our commitment to excellence. Therefore, we are invested in our nonprofit’s ability to measure social impact. Social impact is defined as a significant, positive change that addresses a pressing social challenge. Nonprofits who master measurement and excel at communicating social impact will be strongly positioned for funding. Data collection and evaluation pay dividends for all your stakeholders, including funders. In fact, 90% of corporate funders cite impact data as the most important criteria in their evaluation of nonprofit funding proposals.
While nonprofit leaders deem their organizations as effective at validating the social impact generated by programs and activity, our corporate partners believe we have an opportunity to improve. Capturing social impact data can be daunting. Courageous organizations who embrace the challenge, distinguish themselves as a learning culture.
A learning culture enables organizations to innovate, course correct, fail boldly, and discover novel solutions capable of creating social impact. Learn the terminology that unlocks the first steps of measuring social impact with MCC.
Maribeth Canning is currently teaching the science and art of Measuring Social Impact to the next generation at Northeastern’s Graduate School of Nonprofit Management
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