GameChangers 500

Intended Impact, which is more explicit than a mission statement, states what an organization is trying to achieve and the outcomes it will hold itself accountable to in order to be successful. An Intended Impact statement should:

• Compliment the organization’s mission and vision
• Be specific, measurable and time-based
• Be realistic and achievable, given the organization’s capabilities
• Afford the organization sufficient control over outcomes

“Over the next decade, [Organization]’s primary focus will be on creating fuel-cell technology that provides renewable energy for energy-intensive facilities. [Organization]’s objective is to install [X number of devices] to supply [Y number of people] by 2022. Through these measures, and on this timeline, [Organization] projects it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally by [Z percent]".

Questions to consider when articulating Intended Impact:

• What benefits do the products and services create?
• Which specific cause or demographic is impacted by my organization’s products and services?
• By when does my organization want to achieve specific milestones?
• How does my organization define success?

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A Theory of Change is a method of describing how an organization’s intended impact will be realized; it’s the cause-and-effect logic for how an organization’s products, services and methods will create the desired results. A Theory of Change can take on two forms.

Form 1: The simplest way for an organization to articulate a Theory of Change is to summarize the high-level assumptions and intended consequences of their work. An effective way to do this is with an 'if-then' statement.

“If [Organization] extends micro-loans and provides accompanying support systems to entrepreneurs at the bottom of the pyramid, then recipients of these loans have the chance to grow a small business from the ground up, alleviating their families from poverty and empowering themselves".

Form 2: An in-depth way of articulating a Theory of Change is to create a full document that discusses the greater necessity of the proposed change, the ways in which the given organization is uniquely equipped to enact this change, and a step-by-step implementation plan for pursuing the desired change. For an example of an in-depth Theory of Change, please see the one written by Ashoka founder, Bill Drayton, by clicking HERE.

Questions to consider when articulating a Theory of Change:

• What positive impact is my organization creating and seeking to create in the world?
• Why is my organization developing its primary products and services?
• What assumptions led my organization to create these products and services?
• Who or what benefits from these products and services?
• What effects do these products and services have on the consumer?

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A scaling strategy helps an organization maximize its impact. The strategy usually involves a combination of better leveraging internal resources and seeking people and organizations externally to expand.

• Leveraging internal resources
  Examples: Strengthening web presence; developing talent and leadership; finding more effective distribution channels; creating new products and services or improving existing ones to better meet the organization’s objectives.

• Dissemination (giving others access to the model, innovation or knowledge to replicate at their will)
  Example: Open source

• Affiliation (allowing other organizations to spread the model, innovation or knowledge with some restrictions to help maintain brand consistency)
  Example: Franchising

• Branching (opening remote sites that coordinate with, and are legally bound to a larger organization)
  Example: One head office with several branch offices

“[Organization] produces workshops that inspire people to create a more environmentally sustainable and just world. Because the workshops are having the desired effects, and [Organization] receives positive feedback from participants in different parts of the world, it makes sense for them to develop a strategy to appeal to a global audience. To scale, they offer people who have attended their workshop the opportunity to become a trained facilitator and host workshops in different communities. This affiliation scaling strategy has two primary benefits to [Organization]: it keeps costs low as facilitators volunteer their time, and it requires trained facilitators to use the same presentation materials and branding, helping maintain a consistent message".

Questions to consider prior to developing a scaling strategy, referred to as the “Five R’s”: 

READINESS: Is the innovation ready to be spread?

RECEPTIVITY: Will the innovation be well-received in additional target communities?

RESOURCES: What resources, financial or otherwise, are required to scale effectively?

RISK: What’s the chance the scaling strategy will be implemented incorrectly, failing to achieve more widespread impact?

RETURNS: What is the bottom line? Greater impact should not just be about serving more people — it should be about serving them well.

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After defining their ultimate purpose, organizations should identify the priority outcomes necessary to meet the mission. Note that an Intended Impact statement and Theory of Change will serve as reference points during this process.

U.S. - based strategy consulting firm, Mission Measurement, developed a useful framework for high-level strategic planning. They refer to it as the Success Equation. In their model, organizations are encouraged to consider their impact as a simple regression equation: A + B + C = D. “D” is the ultimate impact sought, or mission accomplished, and “A”, “B” and “C” are the intermediate steps, or priority outcomes, that lead to mission success.

Example of an organization setting Priority Outcomes, inspired by the Jamie Oliver Group:

To access Mission Measurement’s full Success Equation guide, click HERE.

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To stay focused, purpose-driven organizations measure their progress toward meeting their mission. A common approach is establishing performance measures that relate specifically to mission-level performance. Performance measures can be used to track quantitative or qualitative data for reporting purposes.

U.S. - based strategy consulting firm, Mission Measurement, incorporates performance measures into the Success Equation, as shown below.

Example of an organization establishing performance measures, inspired by the Jamie Oliver Group:

To access Mission Measurement’s full Success Equation guide, click HERE.

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Most companies use a variety of daily management processes and tools to operate efficiently. However, purpose-driven organizations also use these tools to ensure daily actives are in sync with mission-focused milestones. 

Example of how the National Society of Leadership and Success aligns everyone with the #1 goal for the upcoming quarter:

The National Society of Leadership and Success’ mission is to build leaders who make a better world by establishing university chapters and training students. To stay focused they:

1. Assign a Critical Number to the goal, for measurement: 20,000 new students trained

2. Establish a Quarterly Theme related to the quarterly goal to bring the goal alive: Building the framework for a successful, well built home

3. Post a visual scorecard for the Critical Number in the office. This is a daily reminder to all staff members of the organization's main goal and allows for tracking the results toward its achievement: Each section of the home is represented in a sketch drawing and displayed in the entrance hall of the office. As the National Society of Leadership and Success completes various tasks related to meeting the goal, they color in a section. Next to the drawings is a tracker showing the renewal rate of chapters for the quarter.

4. Make sure all staff members know there’s a company-wide celebration if the quarterly goal is reached: If the goal is reached, everyone gets a day off to celebrate at a rented home at the beach for a day.

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