The Limits of Nonprofit Impact: A Contingency Framework for Measuring Social Performance
Harvard Business School General Management Unit Working Paper No. 10-099
Harvard Business School Marketing Unit Working Paper No. 10-099
Posted: 19 May 2010 Last revised: 27 Oct 2010
Date Written: May 19, 2010
Abstract
Leaders of organizations in the social sector are under growing pressure to demonstrate their impacts on pressing societal problems such as global poverty. We review the debates around performance and impact, drawing on three literatures: strategic philanthropy, nonprofit management, and international development. We then develop a contingency framework for measuring results, suggesting that some organizations should measure long-term impacts, while others should focus on shorter-term outputs and outcomes. In closing, we discuss the implications of our analysis for future research on performance management.
Keywords: performance measurement, impact, nonprofit management, social enterprise, philanthropy, accountability, management control systems
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