New animation explores the ‘Measuring What Matters’ report

Is there a gap between what people working at the local level see and feel is important, and what funders want to hear is happening? Do complex outcomes – for example, around building dignity and trust – take second place to more easily measured outputs such as “number of wells drilled”? Could a new system of measurement be developed that could provide inspiration, rather than encourage standardization?

These are just some questions we have been interrogating with our community philanthropy partners, along with Candid and Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace, over the last several years. Our thinking, up to this point, is laid out in the discussion paper Measuring What Matters, which seeks to identify more meaningful approaches to organizational learning and accountability. The paper offers a prototype measurement approach that aims to capture the richness of what happens in civil society, and that shifts the power in evaluation to where it belongs. 

Our new Knowledge Weaving and Influencing Manager, Eshban Kwesiga, prepared this short animation, which brings the paper and its ideas to life. Have a watch, and let us know if you’d like to be involved in these discussions moving forward!