Measures of Success: Not everything that counts can be counted

SEPT 2010 – Measures of success – by Faye Wightman, CEO, Vancouver Foundation

“There is a long-standing debate in philanthropy about measuring success and measuring impact. On the one hand, there is a recent trend toward thinking about the act of giving as a “return on investment” decision. A belief that the same rigour should be applied to charities and non-profits as is applied to those companies that manufacture widgets

This push to apply business models to philanthropic decisions – to measure success, to try to understand and quantify the impact of a charitable gift – is completely understandable. Many donors have made their money in business. These donors expect results. They want to see the impact of their gift now, not later.  They are looking for accountability. They want evidence of success. They want metrics.”