tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post802709191719765234..comments2024-03-28T03:11:22.839-07:00Comments on PHILANTHROPY 2173: Metrics are good. Unless they're bad.Lucy Bernholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-40006234503066003542009-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:002009-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00Lucy - loved the brilliant filibuster/ad infinitum...Lucy - loved the brilliant filibuster/ad infinitum insight into defining social enterprise and potential metrics. I read that sentence, and thought, we need a dictionary organization for the social sector like Black's Law Dictionary for the legal sector that defines what everything is so we can actually make progress (instead of acting like ships passing in the night).<br /><br />I also wanted to raise a question on one of your assumptions, which is this need for metrics, especially in the context of the mission investing space. I had a conversation with a fund manager of a mission investing financial services firm and asked him whether metrics will be all that important for mission investments. He doesn't think so and I probably agree. Imagine if you had an idea like Google or some other worldchanging idea that could generate market rates of return or better - would you really spend the time developing social impact metrics? And perhaps more importantly, how many mission investors will be significantly influenced based on social return metrics, as opposed to financial metrics and the theory of change itself? I think it's important for "social entrepreneurs" to think about their social impact, but quantifying their social impact may be an unnecessary step. <br /><br />That's not to say social impact metrics don't matter - they probably matter more at the nonprofit level than at the for-profit level (I think it's telling that SVT, one of the leaders in social impact assessment (SIA), has a client base that's primarily nonprofit). Anywho, these are just some random thoughts I have this morning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-44422228929915657852009-04-27T08:22:00.000-07:002009-04-27T08:22:00.000-07:00Yes, exactly. Do we recognize that the act of defi...Yes, exactly. Do we recognize that the act of defining metrics causes shifts in behavior and gaming of the system - that the metrics themselves become a currency? Defining metrics is not only about trying to measure what matters but it is also about incenting what we want more of.<br /><br />For example, I hardly favorite anything on twitter. If you say that is the metric that matters, I will start "favoriting" all the things I want to see uplifted in the attention sphere.<br /><br />(see http://openmoney.info/sophia/index.html for explanation of levels of wealth) <br /><br />And if we think of metrics as currency at the measurable wealth level, then can we imagine translators/currency exchangers in some cases?NurtureGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14212159709973868878noreply@blogger.com