You know that phrase “lies, damned lies, and statistics”?
It’s a phrase that comes to mind when I see impact metrics for non-profit work.
Sure, some non-profit work lends itself very well to metrics, like numbers of animals spayed/neutered, or eye surgeries performed. But how do you measure impact for non-profits that aim to build movements, ecosystems, and fields?
Measuring engagement vs. measuring impact
It sounds skeptical but figures like numbers of media hits, or numbers of people convened are really measurements of the means, not the ends. They measure how many people engaged with the work; but not how many people were changed by the work.
How do we measure that? Well… we’re taking the approach of asking YOU if you have been changed by our work. As a field building organization, we want to know how many individuals felt empowered by New Harvest’s work to change the trajectory of their careers into cell ag.
Share your impact stories
Has New Harvest helped you get where you are today? Maybe you attended a conference and it inspired you to go back to school or launch your own business. Maybe one of our talks motivated you to start a student club or apply for an industry job. Or maybe you simply felt emboldened to take your research in a new direction after that encouraging phone call.
Impact begets impact
These stories aren’t just for us to understand the effectiveness of our work.
This information is crucial for us explaining our unique value proposition to collaborators, new donors, and government funding agencies. In many ways, these stories will only continue to drive New Harvest’s work in the years to come.
