Making it Easier to Identify Top, High-Impact Nonprofits

Abstract

Introduction

Few would dispute the simple but powerful theory of social change that acknowledges the unique contribution of nonprofit organizations and their potential to help solve society’s most pressing problems, that many nonprofits are already achieving strong results, and that growing them is a highly effective strategy for reaching more people in need.

Yet despite all of the important work accomplished by nonprofit organizations over the last hundred years, significant growth has remained an elusive goal for most of them. Even the most effective mission-driven organizations face the daunting challenge of achieving widespread impact. Most have remained small in proportion to the problems they work to resolve. As social analyst Lisbeth Schorr wrote, “We have learned to create the small exceptions that can change the lives of hundreds. But we have not learned how to make the exceptions the rule to change the lives of millions” (Schorr 1997).

The inability to achieve scale—to make meaningful and sustainable impact by reaching greater numbers of people—has limited the potential of these organizations and the people and causes they serve. If we had a vaccine that would prevent a serious illness, we would want to do all we can to ensure that everyone receives it. Likewise, society’s complex and pressing challenges call for solutions with higher trajectories for the growth and scale of impact.