In week five, the class went over Solution and Impact Evaluation. The week's reading and videos consisted of a video about Measuring Your Social Impact: Theory of Change, Getting Results: Outputs, Outcomes, and Impact, Measuring and Improving Social Impacts: A Guide for Nonprofits, Companies, and Impact Investors, Starfish Hurling and Community Service, the Eight-Word Mission Statement, and Kevin Starr: Lasting Impact. One of the key points is outputs are activities done by the nonprofit such as meals served by a soup kitchen, outcomes are observed effects of the outputs on the beneficiaries of the nonprofit such as the degree to which the meals served by the soup kitchen reduce hunger in the population, and impact is the degree to which the outcomes observed by a nonprofit are attributable to its activities such as the impact of the soup kitchen is the degree to which a reduction of hunger in the population they serve is attributable to its efforts. While a soup kitchen might serve a lot of meals and correctly observe that hunger is subsequently less prevalent in the population it serves, the reduction in hunger might simply be attributable to an improving economy, or a new school lunch program or some other activities that are not part of the soup kitchen’s efforts. The eight-word mission statement should have very concrete results and it's about the what, not the how. Kevin Starr says the Mission Statement must have a verb, a target, and an outcome. For example: for an island conservation, the verb is save, the target is island species, and the outcome is from extinction. Put them all together and you have "Save the island species from extinction." Four questions one should ask themselves before starting a project are is it needed? Is it really needed, does the thing work like it's supposed to, will it get to those who need it and a lot of them, and will they use it right when they get it?
During my studies, I was inspired by an excerpt written by Marc J. Epstein and Kristi Yuthas titled, "Measuring and Improving Social Impacts: A Guide for Nonprofits, Companies, and Impact Investors." In this excerpt, there is a five-step process in creating and measuring social impact. These steps are what will you invest, what problems will you address, what steps will you take, how will you measure success, and how can you increase impact? The excerpt went on to describe the donor resources which are human, material, and financial. Lastly, the excerpt described the four stages of impact measurement road map which are prepare the measurement foundation, consider how you will use the results, identify key impacts and metrics, and develop your measurement system. These steps, resources, and stages were stated so simply, it helped me see that it is possible to get out there and do my part in helping the community get to a better standing.
Keith Morton's article titled, "Starfish Hurling and Community Service" had me rethink the entire meaning and purpose of the starfish story. I think the first time I heard about the starfish story was maybe either in high school or the start of my college career. It initially had me compare people to starfish and even if I could only help one person then that was all that really mattered, However, after reading Morton's take on the story, I have realized perhaps the story really was nothing more than just people throwing starfish back into the ocean. The true purpose of the tale is the fact the story is apolitical, it is just about helping starfish, not people. Starfish are passive and have no voice. It avoids the possible complexity of ecology. The story suggests we should work from an emotional response rather than with our heads. Lastly, the story privileges random, individual acts of kindness. Based on what I have learned from Morton's insight on the story, I should talk to people who may have an issue in the community, listen to their problem, build relationships within the community, know myself and my environment, and work with others where they and the situation itself can teach me how to act with more knowledge and effectiveness.
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