1. Why Shared Measurement Matters
Srik Gopalakrishnan, FSG
April 2013

2. About FSG and Shared Measurement
Nonprofit consulting and research firm founded in 2000
Staff of 120 in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, Geneva
Success in strategy and evaluation with over 400 foundations, corporations, and nonprofits
Thought leader: articles published in HBR, SSIR, American Journal of Evaluation including Collective Impact (SSIR 2010)
Breakthroughs in Shared Measurement and Social Impact (funded by Hewlett Foundation) published in 2009: examined 20 approaches to performance, outcome, impact measurement
FSG is driven by the same passion that drives our clients: a passion for greater social impact using data as a key lever

3. The Premise: There Are Several Types of Problems
Simple
Complicated
Complex
Right “recipe” essential
Gives same results every time
Example: Baking a cake
“Formulas” needed
Experience built over time and can be repeated with success
Example: Sending a rocket to the moon
No “right” recipes or protocols Outside factors influence Experience helps, but doesn’t guarantees success
Example: Raising a child
Traditional approach in social sector has been to treat problems as simple or complicated
Source: Adapted from “Getting to Maybe”

4. Current approaches not conducive to complex problems:
Traditional Ways of Approaching Social Change Are Not Working to Address Our Toughest Challenges
Current approaches not conducive to complex problems:
Funders select individual grantees that offer the most promising solutions
Grantees work separately, compete to produce the greatest independent impact
Evaluation attempts to isolate a particular grantee’s impact
Large scale change assumed to depend on scaling a single organization
Corporate, government, philanthropy and nonprofit sectors often disconnected from efforts of foundations and nonprofits
Isolated Impact

5. Imagine a Different Approach
Isolated Impact
Shift mindset from a “technical” to an “adaptive” approach:
Understand that social problems – and their solutions – arise from interaction of many organizations within larger system
Large scale impact depends on increasing cross-sector alignment and learning among many organizations
Nonprofits, government, philanthropy and corporates actively coordinate their action and share lessons learned
Progress depends on working toward the same goal and measuring the same things – SHARED MEASUREMENT
Collective Impact

6. Benefits of Using Shared Measurement
Shared Measurement Is a Critical Piece of Pursuing a Collective Impact Approach
Definition
Identifying meaningful common metrics for tracking progress toward a common agenda across organizations, and providing scalable platforms to share data, discuss learnings, and improve strategy and action
Benefits of Using Shared Measurement
Tracking Progress Toward a Shared Goal
Enabling Coordination and Collaboration
Learning and Course Correction
Catalyzing Action in the Field
Audience engagement activity: Which of these benefits is most important for your organization? (hold up a finger) Are there other benefits?

7. Developmental Phases in Creating a Shared Measurement System1 2 3
Design
Develop
Deploy
Shared vision for the system and its relation to broader goals, theory of change or roadmap
View of current state of knowledge and data
Governance and organization for structured participation
Identification of metrics, data collection approach, including confidentiality/ transparency
Development of data collection tools and technology platform
Refinement and testing of platform and tools
Staffing for data management and synthesis
Learning forums and continuous improvement
Ongoing infrastructure support
Improve system based on a pilot, review, refinement, and ongoing evaluation of usability and impact

8. Examples of Shared Measurement in Use

9. Shared Measures for 100Kin10 Partner Organizations
Advance
Develop & Improve
Induct
Place/Hire
Prepare
Recruit
STEM Teacher Experience
DRAFT
Excellence Outcomes (quality of teachers)
Candidates demonstrate:
Academic proficiency
Leadership potential
Appropriate mindset to succeed in STEM classrooms and school environments*
Candidates demonstrate basic:
Instructional practice
STEM content knowledge
Pedagogical content knowledge
Preparedness for the context in which they will teach
Qualified STEM teachers are:
Placed/hired
Prepared for the context in which they are placed/hired
New STEM teachers demonstrate improved STEM-related:
Instructional practice
Pedagogical content knowledge
STEM Content knowledge
Student engagement
STEM teachers demonstrate improved STEM-related:
Instructional practice
Pedagogical content knowledge
STEM Content knowledge
Student engagement
Student achievement
STEM teachers:
Take on instructional leadership roles
Move into administrative roles
Engage more deeply with community stakeholders
Influence peers and colleagues
* Mindset persists throughout STEM teaching career

10. Shared Measures for Portland Metro STEM Partnership

11. Ways Network Partners Use Shared Measurement System
To Learn with and from Peer Programs and Organizations
To Inform Internal Decision-making About Practices
To Identify Practices of High-performing Organizations
To Identify Other Relevant Partners
To Uncover Areas Where Further Data or Research Is Needed

12. Challenges in Developing and Implementing Shared Measurement Systems
Difficulty in coming to agreement on common outcomes and indicators
Concerns about relative performance / comparative measurement across providers working in the same space
Limited capacity (time and skill) for measurement and data analysis within participating organizations
Aligning funders to ask for the common measures as part of their reporting requirements
Time and cost of developing and maintaining a system, both for human capital and technology
Audience engagement: Talk with a partner – which of these challenges resonate with you the most?

13. Critical Factors in the Development of Shared Measurement Systems Help Overcome These Challenges
Effective Funding Relationships
Strong leadership and substantial funding throughout multi-year development period
Independence from funders in devising indicators and managing the system
Broad and Open Engagement
Broad engagement in design process by many organizations in field, with clear expectations about confidentiality/ transparency
Voluntary participation open to all relevant organizations
Infrastructure for Deployment
Effective use of technology
Ongoing staffing to provide training, facilitation, and to review accuracy of data
Pathways for Learning and Improvement
Testing and continually improving system through user feedback
Facilitated process for participants to gather periodically to share results, learn from each other, and coordinate efforts
Source: Breakthroughs in Shared Measurement and Social Impact, FSG, 2009

14. FSG Lessons Learned in Implementing Shared Measurement Systems
Don’t Underestimate the Value of Partner Engagement
Proceed Iteratively
Focus on Learning and Use
Address Both Technical and Political Challenges
Ensure Long-term Funding and Sustainability
A well designed and structured Shared Measurement effort will pay dividends for years to come