NEW! Learn Acumen's Patient Capital approach to impact investing

Sign Me Up!

Learn How To

Assess the breadth, depth and focus of your social impact using a three-part framework
Craft a theory of change for your organization or initiative
Improve your impact using Acumen’s Lean Data approach, with added inspiration from case studies showing how other social enterprises have measured their impact in lean and rigorous ways.

Watch a Preview

Course Syllabus

01

LEARNING TOOLS

4 reading guides highlighting case studies and examples

4 discussion guides to structure the development of your own theory of change

Video tutorials from Sasha Dichter, Acumen’s former Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder of 60 Decibels

02

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL IMPACT ANALYSIS

Video: Introduction to the Course

Video: The State of Social Impact Analysis

Video: The Lean Social Impact Mindset

Video: How to Develop a Social Impact Hypothesis

Reading: Introduction to Social Impact Analysis

Reading: The Social Impact Buzz

Reading: Philosophies Guiding Social Impact Analysis

Reading: Why Measuring Social Impact Matters

Reading: What This Course Will Cover

Activity: Develop Your Impact Hypothesis

03

SECTION 2: BUILDING AN IMPACT FRAMEWORK

Video: Framework for Measuring Impact

Video: Theory of Change

Video: Breadth of Impact

Video: Depth of Impact

Video: Target Population

Video: Case Study of Solar Company

Reading: Building an Impact Framework

Reading: Breadth of Impact

Reading: Depth of Impact

Reading: Focus on Target Population

Reading: Putting it All Together

Activity: Draft Your Impact Model

Activity: Define Your Target Customer

Activity: Define Your Breadth

Activity: Define Your Depth

04

SECTION 3: DEVELOPING A THEORY OF CHANGE

Video: Theory of Change Overview

Video: Building Hypotheses into a Theory of Change

Video: Pitfalls to Watch Out for when Creating a Theory of Change

Video: The Connection Between Impact and Value

Reading: Introduction to Theory of Change

Activity: Create Your Theory of Change

05

SECTION 4: CURRENT AND FUTURE APPROACHES TO IMPACT MEASUREMENT AND DATA COLLECTION

Video: The Future of Social Impact Analysis

Video: Conclusion

Reading: Gathering Your Impact Data

Reading: Data Collection Methods

Reading: Where We Think the Sector is Heading

Activity: From Impact Hypothesis to Customer Promise

Activity: Summary Deck

Learn for free

New courses at no cost—made available every month.

Change your view of the world

Draw inspiration from thought-provoking readings, videos, and reflections.

Gain diverse perspectives

Learn with a team that brings different experiences and thinking to the table.

Receive a certificate of recognition

Attain a “Statement of Accomplishment” recognizing your successful completion of a course.

"

It was clear, concise, easily understood. Very relevant to all the social work being done in Pakistan."

Komal

Course Description

In this course, you’ll explore frameworks and practical tools for measuring the social impact of your company, organization or initiative. You will learn to better articulate short-term outcomes and long-term goals, so you can connect them to quantifiable metrics to support your decisions and improve your ability to create impact over time.
Read More

Supported By

For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission has been to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world. Together with partners and grantees, The Rockefeller Foundation strives to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, create unlikely partnerships that span sectors, and take risks others cannot - or will not.

VISIT WEBSITE

60 Decibels makes it easy to listen to the people who matter most. Our Lean DataSM approach turns customer voice into high-value insights that help businesses maximize their impact. We have a network of 120+ trained Lean DataSM researchers in 30+ countries who speak directly to customers to understand their lived experience. By combining voice, SMS, and other technologies to collect data remotely with proprietary survey tools, we help clients listen more effectively and benchmark their social performance against their peers.

VISIT WEBSITE

Related Courses

On-Demand

Nonprofit Fundraising Essentials

Free

On Demand

7 weeks

Embrace Entrepreneurial And Strategic Approaches To Fundraise More Effectively

Enroll Now

Our community comes from a range of countries and socioeconomic backgrounds; differences in pricing standards and privilege shouldn't prevent access. Therefore, this course is 'pay what you can.' In order to continue to provide access to as many people as possible, we appreciate whatever you are able to contribute to help keep our courses running. Please note that a payment is NOT required to take this course.
Suggested Price
$45
$
PROCEED