How Do You Measure A Movement?
Tangible social impact data is like the holy grail for organizations aiming for real-world change. It can also be frustratingly elusive and hard to capture accurately. So, how do we fix that?
Data in the social or nonprofit space isn’t a new concept by any means, but it’s one that begs to be explored much further. Most organizations know how to use the numbers to identify things like wealth disparity, food deserts, and other phenomena. The concept of social return on investment has existed for decades already. But the issue comes when figuring out exactly how impact is achieved – how we tell it’s working – which can be nebulous, indirect and tough to track.
Per our digital analyst, Sadie, “In paid advertising, it’s easy to know the impact of what my ads are doing based on the data, like my return on ad spend or sales. There are simple metrics that tell the analyst what is working. You have a funnel. You bring the audience down from awareness to conversion.” But the landscape is different for organizations with purpose-driven goals beyond sales. That same old funnel has value, but not necessarily the value these orgs need: meaningful, lasting community impact.
It doesn’t help that most social impact organizations have a little extra pressure. They must prove they are effective not just to stay afloat, but also to constantly maintain their credibility. That’s where measuring social impact comes into play. Every purpose-driven organization on Earth will have to prove their authenticity and follow through, sooner or later. These numbers are a concrete way for organizations to show they are doing the right thing. In this context, social impact data is how to show that change is truly happening.
Of course, defining social impact is a crucial piece of the puzzle, and it’s different for everyone. According to Sadie, “Impact takes place at home. I don’t know if it all takes place on the Internet. That’s where the real measuring problem comes into play. Impact happens when kids come home from school and talk to their parents and vice versa.” Being able to specify in advance the who, what, where and when of impact can lead you to the all-important why.
Speaking of “where”, how does the Internet play into this? To Sadie, social media and online platforms can be “the most amazing thing that can happen to social impact, and it can also really hurt. It can do both.” Tracking where people spend prolonged time and attention, rather than general awareness, may be “the first step to measuring impact” effectively in these spaces. As the pandemic pushed communities and activists online, knowing how these platforms contribute to progress and social movements will only become more important over time, even if it doesn’t account for the entire landscape of social movements.
This is a question we’ll be studying, solving and revisiting for years. But to make a difference, we must be willing to ask the tough questions that may result from this data, too. Did our outreach change anything? Did we really, directly support our communities? And if the answer is no, then how can these numbers point us in a better direction?
In Sadie’s words, “The end goal is having something these companies and agencies can use to measure the impact they’re having. It’s something we can give to the world. I’m a believer that the more data we have, the better we can make decisions. We can make choices more efficiently and confidently. The more data we gather, the better we can serve these communities. It’s not just throwing darts at a board, but actually doing things with purpose.”
If we want to empower nonprofits, government organizations, B Corps and anyone making a difference, then we need to cover more ground. We need to learn how to use data once we’ve got it, and we need be ready for all the change to come.