ERNOP Online Series 2023-2024
Impact measurement made easy? Towards a standard blueprint
May 28, 2024, 10-11 (CET)
Speaker: Georg Mildenberger (Centre for Social Investment, University of Heidelberg)
Discussant: Priscilla Boiardi (OECD Centre on Philanthropy, NetFWD)
About this seminar:
Up to now, there is no generally accepted standard for impact measurement and most funding bodies and non-profit organisations develop their own methodologies, resulting in a multiplicity of approaches, tools, and databases. Results can hardly be compared, resources are again and again used to develop an impact measurement instrument and reports are not always easy to understand for stakeholders.
Nevertheless, a general consensus exists that social impact measurement should be guided by shared principles and some basic indicators. Can we develop a standard tool for impact measurement? What would be the advantages of such a tool and how could such a tool be made feasible and applicable? Based on the ongoing project ‘Impact of Social Innovation’ that is carried out by the Centre for Social Investment at the University of Heidelberg, Dr. Georg Mildenberger will build on the standard input, output, outcome and impact (IOOI) model and provide suggestions for a blueprint of middle-range impact measurement models, but will also address the downsides of using such models.
A middle range impact model combines a generic IOOI for a class of projects/interventions with a core stakeholder mapping and a selection of indicators that might be used by all projects of the class and then can be customized and supplemented depending on the specific aspects of the project. Hence, it can inform and support practitioners on possibilities to model impact by supplying a generic list of indicators, baseline values and methodologies.
To watch the recording of this webinar, click here.
About Dr Georg Mildenberger
Dr Georg Mildenberger is Acting Director of the Centre for Social Investment of the University of Heidelberg. His research focuses on social innovation, civil society organisations, civic engagement and impact measurement. His research covers basic research and contributions to methodology to transdisciplinary work as well as consulting and providing expertise.
About Priscilla Boiardi
Priscilla Boiardi is leading the work on impact in the Private Finance for Sustainable Development team at the OECD. Priscilla is working on a wide range of initiatives, in particular policies and standards that governments can adopt to maximise the impact of their investments made in sustainable development. Priscilla sits on a number of EC project selection committees, on the Methodology Committee of Social Value International (SVI) and on the Advisory Board of the Social Impact Agenda for Italy (SIA). Before joining the OECD, Priscilla was Research and Policy Director at EVPA (the European association of venture philanthropists and impact investors), leading the research, policy, training and dissemination activities, supported by the European Commission. Priscilla has over 15 years of research experience, first as a Research Associate at the Vlerick Business School and then as a PhD candidate at the Catholic University of Leuven.