Never in the history of humankind has there been such potential to create social impact. There are more charities than ever, more people volunteering overseas, more interest in a globally connected world.
And yet, it seems that some problems are never truly solved, despite charities getting bigger and more ubiquitous. How can this be?
Let’s look at how the typical charity measures success:
- The number of children seen in a year.
- The number of wells provided to communities.
- The number of girls who had gone to school.
Is this addressing symptoms or solving problems? Is it really success if we keep the client coming back?
Let’s look at another way in which charities measure success:
- We raised $85 million this year, up from $60 million last year.
- We now have 25 country offices.
- We have over 1,000 staff.
These metrics don’t measure success either. They measure growth.
To view the ProBono article in full, click here.
