Measuring long-term progress

On Sunday, the New York Times ran an article “Can Foundations Take the Long View Again,” which suggested that the increased focus on measurability in the nonprofit sector may be causing foundations to sacrifice strategies for long-term social change in favor of short-term quantifiable projects that, on paper, appear to be more efficient.

The writer, Denise Caruso, executive director of the Hybrid Vigor Institute, writes, "Advisers and trustees compelled foundations to redirect their unrestricted grants to more discrete, short-term projects — for example, distributing mosquito nets in malaria regions — that would deliver a measurable bang for the buck."

The article sites a study by the The Center for Effective Philanthropy  which recommended that to maximize the impact on the community, foundations should really "make larger, longer-term operating grants” [emphasis mine]

The question of how to incorporate accountability and detailed measurement without losing the sort of multi-year systemic approach to driving change is one that is certainly relevant our our work at United Way, and I think will become the center of the conversation on community progress in the future.  Let me know what you think about the article and the challenge of measuring our work without limiting it.