Washington, DC, and Chicago, IL, Dec. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GuideStar and Mission Measurement announce the addition of Impact Genome Project (IGP) data to GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles. An IGP badge automatically appears on the profiles of nonprofits that have completed a free IGP survey. The badge links to information from the survey that allows donors to evaluate how evidence-based a charity is, the outcomes it aims to achieve, and how effectively it has worked toward those outcomes. More than 400 organizations have IGP badges on their GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles.
“We are delighted to add IGP data to our profiles,” stated GuideStar president and CEO Jacob Harold. “The IGP badges offer a powerful complement to the Platinum level of transparency GuideStar added last year. Through Platinum, nonprofits share the metrics they use to track their progress against their missions. So far, organizations have shared more than 12,000 metrics. Most of these metrics measure the work the nonprofits did, that is, ‘outputs.’ These are important baseline measurements. But we are always looking for new ways to understand the work that nonprofits do. The Impact Genome Project’s analysis offers a nuanced view into a nonprofit’s work. We are thrilled to enrich our profiles with this additional data.”
Jason Saul, founder of Mission Measurement, which curates the Impact Genome Project, explained, “GuideStar and Mission Measurement are pioneering new ways to standardize data, so that we can simplify nonprofit reporting, level the playing field for all charities, and provide donors with more relevant data on charitable performance. Over time, the IGP will produce benchmark data that enables donors and charities to compare programs with similar goals. Donors will be able to judge charities on their actual impacts on society, rather than on less meaningful criteria such as overhead costs.”
GuideStar and Mission Measurement aspire to benefit donors and charities alike. Over time, we hope to see:
- More donations. Donors increasingly question the bang for the buck of their charitable donations. They will give more if they know the return their philanthropic investments will get, and have greater confidence in a charity’s ability to produce the outcomes they value.
- Greater social impact. Standardized outcomes reporting will make it possible to analyze what works and help charities improve the design and reach of their programs. Better data will mean better outcomes for more beneficiaries.
- A more level playing field. Impact data won’t be something only the big charities can afford. By democratizing evaluation and improving all charities’ ability to report reliable outcomes data, all charities will be able to compete for donations on a level playing field. Eventually, we hope to replace the “overhead metric” with a set of “outcome metrics” that provide a more reasonable basis for judging charitable effectiveness.
Nonprofits see the benefits of completing the IGP survey. Heather King, PhD, Director of Evaluation at Spark, a national organization that focuses on middle schoolers, commented, “The Genomic Evaluation was incredibly helpful—it gave our organization a sense of where we stand amongst our peers and how we could improve. I'd recommended the process, especially to organizations that are just beginning to invest in program evaluation.”
To see IGP badges and the data they link to, view the GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles for the following organizations and scroll to the end of the Programs section:
About the Impact Genome Project and Mission Measurement
The Impact Genome Project (IGP) is a field-wide, systematic effort to create the most comprehensive evidence base of what works in social change. The IGP turns unstructured data from academic studies, program evaluations, and expert opinion into quantifiable genes, creating a complete picture of what we know about social change. The IGP then makes this data available for tools for to the sector. These tools and data enable funders, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to make data-driven social investments, design and implement more effective programs, and inform more meaningful research.
Mission Measurement, the leader in social sector data and insights, curates the Impact Genome Project. Mission Measurement gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a new generation of research for standardizing, measuring, and predicting social outcomes. Its unrivaled evidence base provides the foundation for more informed social investment decisions, leading to superior results for shareholders, stakeholders, and society at large. The patent-pending Impact Genome® lies at the heart of Mission Measurement’s work. Based on our proprietary Outcomes Taxonomy™ and the same algorithmic models used to predict personal credit worthiness and musical preferences, IGP provides the industry’s most efficient means of standardizing, measuring, and forecasting social outcomes, leading to dramatically improved results.
About GuideStar
GuideStar, http://www.guidestar.org, is the world’s largest source of nonprofit information, connecting people and organizations with data on 2.6 million current and formerly IRS-recognized nonprofits. Each year, more than 8 million people, including individual donors, nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers, and the media, use GuideStar data to make intelligent decisions about the social sector. GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles are populated with information from the IRS, directly from nonprofits, and via other partners in the nonprofit sector. In addition, users see GuideStar data on more than 200 philanthropic websites and applications. GuideStar is itself a 501(c)(3) public charity.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/34e2415e-6abf-4154-92e9-978952af9bc6
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4200f5fc-53f6-4800-8617-fa0088f12e3d