This reminds me of a quote in Boards that Make A Difference by governance guru John Carver that has always stuck in my head. “A crude measure of the right thing beats a precise measure of the wrong thing.”

All this was stirred up for me by the recent buzz within the world of philanthropy for measures to better direct donor giving to “what works.”

There is a real danger in oversimplifying what works.

While I’m completely in favor of focusing the attention of our sector toward processes that produce real community results, I’m wary of reliance on simplistic nonprofit rating systems (e.g. GiveWell) that attempt to duplicate for mission effectiveness the same style of rating formulas that Charity Navigator and others use to rank nonprofits by their financial metrics. We already know that judging a nonprofit solely upon the percentage of program expenses tells us nothing about community results and, in many cases, not even a terribly lot about nonprofit financial effectiveness.

How can we better use the indicators that do exist to influence whole systems change and not just randomized philanthropic endeavors?

There are already some pretty powerful indicators out there. Hats off to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for its funding of KIDS COUNT data nationwide and in every state. (We are very fortunate to count the superb Rhode Island KIDS COUNT among our clients). Or thanks to UNICEF for the State of the World’s Children.

Having data such as this helps us understand where we are starting and helps focus our attention on the progress that we’d like to see made.

Throughout RI, we heard that publishing credible and sophisticated data sets on current conditions has led to significant changes in the way that RI government and nonprofits think about policy for kids.

But in addition to its data, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is known for researching and bringing forward examples of practices that have been shown to make real progress for children. By bringing all parties to the table, they help entire systems develop legislation, policies and practices that better serve children.

UNICEF articulated GOBI-FFF, now considered the basic elements of child survival, to reduce infant mortality worldwide. (Growth monitoring, Oral rehydration therapy, Breast feeding, Immunizations with  supports from Female literacy, Family spacing, and Food supplements).

Yes, we can and should hold many individual organizations accountable for where they spend their dollars and the quality of their investments. But if we get distracted and only focus our attention on what nonprofits donors should invest in, as a community we distort the massive, interlocking systems changes needed to dramatically move the needle for all.

Funding the best of charter schools won’t change public education as long as charters enroll miniscule numbers of kids. Funding a few individual organizations that adopt child survival isn’t enough to eliminate communicable disease when 100% of kids need to be immunized.

We must hold accountable whole communities, states and countries for the investments they make in the outcomes we profess to desire. Our society must invest in practices at the scale needed to reach every kid or every adult and not just the fortunate few who may win the nonprofit assistance lottery.

While I believe in the power of nonprofits to change lives, I also know that our institutions are a small part of the picture.  The easily measured usually serve as band aids or incubators. It’s a lot harder to measure the efforts of the advocates or catalysts for widescale change.

I’d hate to see philanthropy distracted from enabling big system societal changes. Let’s not invest excessive amounts of energy in measuring and evaluating individual nonprofits in isolation, and miss the bigger systems that need our attention.

Nelson Mandela

This picture shows Mandela with F.W. de Klerk, his lifelong enemy. De Klerk represented a ruthless and racist regime that used massacre, torture, infiltration and assassination over decades in relentless efforts to destroy Mandela and his colleagues in the South African resistance movement. Yet Mandela had the wisdom to make de Klerk his partner-adversary in creating a new South Africa. Mandela’s own release from prison in 1990 after 28 years, was just one milestone in that long and difficult partnership. Four years later, Mandela’s African National Congress won South Africa’s first non-racial election, ending apartheid and creating a peace which lasts to the present day.

That’s why we do the work that we do. Because we see nonprofits as essential to bringing that hope to pass.

So, on this momentous day, we thought we’d share a few words in the same spirit from our President to be and wish him great luck and all of our assistance on this journey:

“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it?s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers ? in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people…”

“America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves ? if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

“…This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time ? to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth ? that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can?t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

“Yes We Can.”?Excerpts from victory speech of President-elect, Barack Obama

“Things do not change, we change.” Henry David Thoreau

“They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

I’m always aware that as a consultant, I don’t make change in organizations … the staff, volunteers and board members that I work with do. I can suggest promising practices, I can provide helpful tools, or I can facilitate conversations that can lead to change. But when it comes right down to it, you are the implementer of change.

Change is hard. Making your organization work better is good. Go for it.

Happy Monday.

Gayle