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Impact Measurement and Management During COVID-19: Tips and Resources to Help Social Impact Organizations Adapt
As the scope of the COVID-19 economic crisis becomes clear, social impact organizations are scrambling to cut costs. According to Matthew Guttentag and Mallory St. Claire at ANDE, this might lead them to reduce their focus on impact measurement and management (IMM). They explain why this would be a mistake – and how organizations can adapt their IMM activities during the crisis.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Impact Assessment
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New Era, New Data: Why ‘Financial Inclusion 2.0’ Will Require a Different Approach to Measurement
Financial inclusion is entering a new era, says Grant Robertson at FinMark Trust. The movement’s first era focused largely on boosting financial access – but its impact on poverty and wellbeing was limited. The new era – "financial inclusion 2.0" – will focus more on expanding real economic opportunity. But to support this goal, the sector will need a new approach to data.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
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Research During a Pandemic: Leaner and Faster Poverty Measurement in the Time of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is pushing research projects around the world to move from face-to-face data collection to shorter, phone-based methods. But as Elliott Collins and John Branch at Innovations for Poverty Action point out, these changes can present challenges for researchers studying how the pandemic affects poor and vulnerable households. They explore some strategies for measuring poverty under these constraints, based on IPA’s experience with lean, remote research.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Impact Assessment
- Tags
- coronavirus, data, LMICs, poverty alleviation, research
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Expanding Impact and Emerging Risks in Off-Grid Energy: 10 Customer Insights – And Five Calls to Action
Social impact measurement is often a balancing act between generating rich, meaningful insights – and getting lost in the details. 60 Decibels aims to strike that balance with its first impact performance report, “Why Off Grid Energy Matters,” based on over 35,000 interviews with customers of 49 off-grid energy companies in 17 countries. Kat Harrison and Sasha Dichter explore some highlights, ranging from hyper-specific insights on customer impact, to sector-wide risks and gaps.
- Categories
- Energy, Impact Assessment
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Progress and Frustration: How Investors are Pushing Impact Investing Toward Greater Transparency
Impact investments are likely to top $1 trillion in the not-too-distant future. But as the sector grows, so does the need for greater transparency about who is benefiting, in what ways, and to what degree, says Paige Chapel at Aeris Insight. And though institutional investors are moving toward more accountability, 80% of retail investors still find it difficult to measure the impact of their portfolios. She explores this challenge – and some emerging, tech-based solutions.
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- Impact Assessment, Investing
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Learning is an Afterthought at Most Donor-Funded Programs: Here’s How to Make it a Priority
Despite the millions of dollars funders spend on it each year, learning remains a low priority within donor-funded programs. Why? According to Anne Maftei at the Mastercard Foundation Rural & Agricultural Finance Learning Lab, it's because these programs are built for implementation rather than knowledge creation. But while this is understandable, it's not ideal – Maftei explores ways funders can make learning less onerous and more useful for their partner organizations.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Five Ways the Private Sector Can Align with the Sustainable Development Goals
How can the private sector advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and what’s the best way to measure the success of these efforts? Those questions were among the topics explored at the recent Sustainability and Development Conference at the University of Michigan. Yaquta Kanchwala Fatehi and Dana Gorodetsky at the William Davidson Institute attended the event, and they share some essential insights on the private sector’s role in supporting the SDGs.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Impact Assessment
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From Early Adopters to Tech Laggards: Understanding Off-Grid Energy Customers
The team at 60 Decibels recently set out to understand the motivations of customers served by off-grid energy firms in Africa. Researchers quizzed customers in Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia about their attitudes and behaviours toward new products to find out who were the early innovators, early adopters or tech laggards. Kat Harrison and Hassan Nasser of 60 Decibels explain the research and how firms can convert ambivalent customers into product ambassadors.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Impact Assessment, Technology