At GreaterGood, we use the developmental expertise of our consulting arm, GreaterCapital, to assess and advise NGOs. GreaterCapital is known for providing business solutions for social impact with strategic consulting services spanning the social and economic development spectrum.
Our approach to evaluating organisations has three important areas to note:
Key tools
We have developed two key tools for assessing the credibility, sustainability and social impact of organisations and projects:
- An organisational capacity diagnostic tool, evaluating the purpose, strategic planning, performance, resources, governance and sustainability of the organisation and its activities which results in a dynamic organisational development ranking that highlights areas of strength and weakness.
- A project risk assessment tool that considers risks related to concept, design, capability, control, sustainability and external factors that affect the successful implementation of projects. It also looks at social impact in terms of the breadth, depth, intensity, urgency, need and permanence of the intervention.
Peer Review
GreaterCapital has the benefit of a multi-disciplinary team each with rich and varied experience of development interventions. We draw on this experience in structured peer review sessions at key milestones during projects to make sure our tools, findings and recommendations are as robust and empirically sound as they can be.
Social Return on Investment (SROI)
The idea of a “social return” on philanthropic investment represents a fundamental shift in global development thinking. Since its inception, GreaterCapital has advocated for the accurate measurement of these kinds of returns. We have undergone training in SROI methodology and, while this methodology measures the value of an intervention or programme’s outcomes, it does not always lend itself to the nuances of social impact on the ground. We therefore use this methodology in combination with our own tools and experience.