Center for Social Innovation

Published: November 11, 2008 Download  1 hour 53 minutes, 51.8mb, recorded 2008-03-27

Many people the world over are toiling tirelessly to make an impact through social enterprise. Yet, in the end, how do they know if their efforts have made a difference? In this panel discussion at the 2008 Skoll World Forum, experts provide multiple perspectives on the tricky prospect of measuring impact. They talk about what to measure and how to frame the measurement challenge, offering real life examples that should help anyone struggling to understand how to quantify complexity.

Jeroo Billimoria is the executive director at Aflatoun, Child Social and Financial Education. She launched Childline, India's first attempt at making street children's quick access to supports, such as police assistance and health care, as easy as dialing a number.

David Bonbright is the chief executive at Keystone Accountability. Trained as a lawyer, Bonbright is an experienced designer and manager of citizen-led development services and programs, with an emphasis on strengthening organizational capabilities and promoting societal learning.

Joe Madiath is the executive director at Gram Vikas.

Roger L. Martin is the dean of Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. His research interests lie in the areas of global competitiveness, integrative thinking, business design and corporate citizenship.

Brian Trelstad is the chief investment officer of the Acumen Fund.

Fay Twersky is the director of Impact Planning and Improvement at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, Twersky was the founding principal of BTW Consultants-informing change, a firm in Berkeley, Calif., that consults to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.

Resources

• Video coverage and more information at Social Edge
• Child Savings International
• Keystone Accountability
• Gram Vikas
• University of Toronto - Joseph L. Rotman School of Management
• Acumen Fund
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Rediscovering Social Innovation, a Stanford Social Innovation Review article
• Why Measure, a Stanford Social Innovation Review article

• Microfinance