|
The Volume from 60 Decibels
|
|
|
A monthly collection of our own data and insights, plus the best things we're reading elsewhere.
We hope you enjoy :)
|
|
> Chatting with an Aussie: a 60 Decibels conversation with John Treadgold
If you’re interested in the what and the why behind 60 Decibels, catch this great 15-minute podcast conversation, Building Impact Data by Listening, between our co-founder Sasha and John Treadgold on the Good Future podcast. Sasha boils down our ‘why’ in simple terms, shares how the DNA from Acumen motivated us to create a data “offer” to social entrepreneurs, plus, you’ll hear an Aussie try to pronounce Sasha’s last name (pretty well, actually). Bonus: check out Sasha’s article, published today, Flipping the Script on Impact Measurement, for more goodness on how to #listenbetter.
|
|
> What are those pollsters doing these days?
We geeked out on this podcast from The Daily about fixing the polling mistakes from the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election (sampling tips = joy). It also reminded us that voice surveys are at the root of so much data we see every day, and we got inspired. Lots of people ask us, “Does your work translate to the U.S.?” and we wanted to explain why and how it does. This new Medium article by our team member, Ashley, tells the story.
|
|
> Alnoor’s got your back (and your social performance measurement)
Our longtime friend and advisor Alnoor Ebrahim’s new book, Measuring Social Change, is out! This is the soup, the nuts, and everything in between for anyone who cares about performance measurement for social change. We fondly remember the epic whiteboarding session with Alnoor in 2015 that led to the publication of our co-authored (with Alnoor) first real article about Lean Data in Stanford Social Innovation Review, and we’ve been basking in Alnoor’s wisdom ever since.
|
|
|
> Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Will There Be Enough Room?
Our sector is a bit like the great children’s book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Remember? It's the book with all the letters falling off the coconut tree.) Our sector has its own alphabet soup—IMP, GIIN, IRIS to name a few—and our friends at CDC (“C and D are here with glee?”) want to help. Check out their new handbook and accompanying SSIR article, Using Measurement to Manage Impact. Stay safe on that impact investing tree!
|
|
> Do social enterprises have to ‘cross the chasm’?
The “diffusion of innovation” model is gospel in technology circles: it underpins the strategy of every new software company, and it informs the work of the likes of Clay Christensen (The Innovator’s Dilemma) and Malcolm Gladwell (the Tipping Point). Naturally, we wanted to know: does this model apply to social businesses in Africa? The answer: sort of. We used Lean Data to talk to 4,800 off-grid energy customers and identified the Innovators, the Laggards, and everyone in between. This NextBillion article is for you if you're interested in spreading new products in emerging markets.
|
|
|
> From Sasha: How Much Impact Measurement is Enough?
This blog from our co-founder takes a new look at how to think about how much impact measurement you should do. Naturally, it depends on your objectives. If your focus is on proving impact, then do as little as you can and get on with your work. But if your objective is learning and improving, then be careful about under-investing.
|
|
|
|
