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Blog
Scorecard invites the sector to get its data game on
Ever wonder where the gaps in funding are, which nonprofits need your help the most, and which are most effective on a certain issue?
Life-Long Returns on Early Investments
As a school system administrator in the 1950s, David Weikart was shocked to find many African-American students doing poorly in school. He saw how too much emphasis placed on IQ tests funneled low-scoring students into special education classes—many of these same students would get held back and never graduate from high school. Weikart saw a flawed system and created the Perry Preschool in 1962 to see what effect non-cognitive, creative, and social learning could have on students. Read More
Impact and Accountability Spotlighted at the Clinton Global Initiative
A Literacy Tale: The Clinton Global Initiative is recognizing PlanetRead and the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) for their high-credibility proof that their innovation for mass literacy, Same Language Subtitling (SLS), is having significant impact. The CGI was persuaded to feature Same Language Subtitling after thoroughly grilling the organizations on their claims that 150 million weak-readers in India are becoming fluent readers as a result of applying SLS to popular television shows. Read More
The Dark Side of Impact
SOCAP’09 has come and gone, and we were thrilled to see the Economist cover it. As the unnamed author states, “”[a]rguably the biggest obstacle to the creation of social capital markets is the lack of a common measure of how much good has been done: there is no agreed unit of social impact that mirrors profit in the traditional capital markets.”
From SoCap to Large Cap
Corporate leadership can learn a great deal from the social capital marketplace. But will they? Or will new leadership be required to ensure true sustainable change…? Currently, the world of corporate sustainability tends to fall, generally, into a few camps. One is the ‘do no harm’ principle. Another is government compliance- making sure no laws are broken.
Hot Off The Presses From Acumen Fund
We just heard from Brad Presner that Acumen Fund is launching a new San Francisco chapter! Following on the success of the New York chapter in helping to promote Acumen Fund, raise awareness, and fundraise, he says that San Francisco was the next obvious location to expand to.
The Next Environmental Revolution – It’s Much More Than Carbon
The biggest barrier to progress can be success.
I do declare, on this here virtual soapbox, that the environmental progress made in the last few years is in danger. That danger, despite intense and positive environmental activity, is stagnancy. The biggest barrier to progress can be success.
It is not uncommon for leaders in a field make strides ahead of the competition, whether it be technology, consumer products, social impact, environmentalism, etc., get recognition for their efforts, and then rest on their proverbial laurels.
Is XBRL the bridge to truly sustainable companies?
Imagine you are a computer and your job is to analyze information about investment opportunities. You have been programmed to scan reports that match a template your programmer gave you. If data fits into that template, you can understand it. If it does not, the programmer has to come adjust your template so you can make sense of the parts that do not fit.
Rationalizing- as opposed to rationing- healthcare
I just read a great LA Times column by Michael Hiltzik that offers one of the most lucid definitions of a Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) I’ve seen. Read More