What impact is my organization (or program or idea or policy) having on my community?

Together we’ll clearly define the change you intend to create in your community and craft your definition of success in order to determine the best (most rigorous and practical) way(s) to measure it.

How do I collect the information I need to tell the story of my work in an authentic, compelling way?

Let’s talk methods — together we will identify what tools you need to get the information you want, who to collect information from, and when and how often to collect it. We’ll create processes aligned with best practices that are easy to integrate into your day-to-day work and decision-making so that telling your story with data is meaningful, useful, and practical.

How do I meet grant and/or funder requirements without compromising on my values?

We’ll start with what you want to measure and why and then map those goals and metrics to grant/funder requirements in order to identify overlap and gaps. From there, we’ll work to supplement measures to meet funder/grant needs in a way that feels authentic and aligned with your work.

Measuring Impact

It may feel like to gain success, credibility, or dollars you have to use meaningless metrics and dedicate your valuable time and resources to requirements that aren’t in alignment with what you value. I get it, and I’ve been there — and, I promise you there’s a better way.

Together we’ll clearly define the change you intend to create in your community and craft your definition of success in order to determine the best (most rigorous and practical) way(s) to measure it.
Let’s talk methods — together we will identify what tools you need to get the information you want, who to collect information from, and when and how often to collect it. We’ll create processes aligned with best practices that are easy to integrate into your day-to-day work and decision-making so that telling your story with data is meaningful, useful, and practical.
We’ll start with what you want to measure and why and then map those goals and metrics to grant/funder requirements in order to identify overlap and gaps. From there, we’ll work to supplement measures to meet funder/grant needs in a way that feels authentic and aligned with your work.

Let’s partner!

My approach: I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all approach to measuring impact. I think the best measures are driven by the people “on the ground” and ya’lls definition of success.

You can define success on your own terms and change the world in a way that feels good to you and bolsters your credibility.

Here's the thing: YOU AND YOUR VALUES MATTER. What you want to achieve DEEPLY MATTERS to the people you want to impact. It matters to your funders and the people you serve too. Asking for proof of impact or research isn’t just pro forma — it’s not another box to check. At the end of the day, we (I’m including you!) want to affirm that you're making the biggest difference possible.

This is where I come in. I’ll support you in taking a creative and holistic approach to changemaking.

Together, we’ll leverage meaningful research so you can make the biggest possible impact on the world and share about it in a way that’s aligned with your values and supports your goals.

My dissertation research was on assessing school turnarounds, in particular measuring and unpacking “success” in schools, and I have spent the past few working with entrepreneurs and non-profits to measure many definitions of success in many different ways. I’m constantly thinking about how to redefine and capture success — it intrigues me and I think pushing back on traditional measures of success is critical.

When I was in graduate school a wise man (and now mentor, Dr. Andrew Porter) said to my class: “Anything that’s important, can be measured.” (I’ll admit, at the time, I wasn’t bought in but time has taught me otherwise). This sentiment was echoed again in 2016 at the Deeper Learning Conference, when a representative from @EduChangemakers sessions said the following:

“If you do not find a way to measure the things you value, you will be forced to value the things that are measured.”

Powerful stuff, right?

It can feel restrictive, annoying, or maybe just like a lot of work to measure your impact. Maybe you are thinking that your work is too complicated to really capture and assess, or that impact is all about numbers and that you couldn’t possibly put a number on your achievements.

I promise you can. You don’t have to but you can.

Did you know that the word assessment comes from the Latin root assidere, which means to sit beside? The goal of assessing your impact is to be able to "sit beside" and engage with the work you've done in a way that furthers your learning and your idea. It also allows you to better communicate the benefits of your work to the communities you serve and raise funds — in other words, assessing your impact can increase your impact :)

Impact doesn’t have to just mean numbers. (I will note that using numbers can be immensely helpful to systematically and quickly collect data that helps tell part of a bigger story - experience-based surveys can quickly point to red flags that need to be addressed or highlight examples that we should shine a light on and explore more).

There are SO many different ways to measure impact: surveys, interviews, focus groups, content-based assessments, observations, and artifacts to name a few.

We’ll find what works for you.

Who I’ve worked with to measure impact:

4.0 & the fellows they fund
ImpactEd at the University of Pennsylvania
NewSchools Venture Fund
New York City Coalition for Teacher Preparation
Student Achievement Partners
The School District of Philadelphia
And, more!

Additional Resources:

Case Study

What is research?

What is right-sized research?

Why I don’t go for gold: Setting a new standard for right-sized research.

I’m a business owner. Should I be doing research?

My CV

Email me