Impact measurement is the hardest data problem in the social sector. Here's a framework for building systems that actually capture what matters.
Why Impact Data Is Hard
Commercial organizations have a natural north star: revenue. Mission-driven organizations don't. Their north star — human lives improved, communities strengthened, injustice reduced — is inherently harder to measure, often long-lag, and frequently contested.
The Theory of Change as Data Architecture
The most effective impact measurement frameworks start with a theory of change: a causal model that articulates how the organization's activities lead to the outcomes it cares about. This theory of change then becomes the blueprint for data architecture.