Measuring the Unmeasurable, from Hypnosis to Social Impact
Have you ever wanted to get a score for how creative you really are? How about a rating for how susceptible you are to hypnosis?
Believe it or not, scientists have actually developed ways to measure both.1,2,3,4 These are just a few interesting examples of a wider effort across psychology, business, sociology, and other disciplines to quantify nebulous things.
For nonprofits, measuring complex outcomes isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s vital to their missions. They need to prove that their programs are working and that donor dollars are being put to good use. But how does one even begin to quantify something as subjective as creativity or the broader concept of social impact? Is it really possible to assign a numerical value to something as nuanced as improving someone’s quality of life?
Here at The Decision Lab, evidence-based social impact is at the core of our work. This article will dive into a few well-crafted approaches to measuring social impact, demonstrating how rigorous methodology and creative thinking make it possible to assess the impact of difficult-to-measure outcomes.
References
References
- Divergent association task: Fast creativity test. Divergent Association Task: Fast creativity test. (n.d.). https://www.datcreativity.com/
- Jay, O. A., Johnny, N., Denis, C., Simon, C. J., & Margaret, W. E. (2021, June 17). Naming unrelated words predicts creativity | proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. PNAS. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2022340118
- Hilgard, E. R. (2011, September 22). Apa PsycNet. American Psychological Association. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1980-22456-001
- Tellegen Absorption Scale: Factors and Content Categories. Berkeley University. (2019). https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~jfkihlstrom/TAS.htm
- Glassman, D. M., & Spahn, K. (2012). Performance measurement for nonprofits. Journal of Applied Corporate Finance. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1745-6622.2012.00381.x
- Givewell’s cost-effectiveness analyses. GiveWell. (2023, September). https://www.givewell.org/how-we-work/our-criteria/cost-effectiveness/cost-effectiveness-models
- Google. (n.d.). 2022 Givewell Cost-effectiveness Analysis - Version 4. Google Sheets. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Kq6iHSQFr3eRz1p9KclHuJTQiaJYkpViOyneSd9KCJc/edit?gid=1362437801#gid=1362437801
- How much does it cost to save a life?. GiveWell. (2024, April). https://www.givewell.org/how-much-does-it-cost-to-save-a-life
- Coppel, E., Zhao, K., Oruko, L., Shotland, M., Parker, N., Sampson, R., Abraham, R., Joshi, R., & Levine, R. (2022, August 30). Internal Impact Measurement Methodology. IDinsight. https://www.idinsight.org/publication/internal-impact-measurement-methodology/
- Practical Impact Methodology. Global Innovation Fund. (n.d.). https://www.globalinnovation.fund/practical-impact-assessment/
- Practical Impact: GIF’s approach to impact measurement. Global Innovation Fund. (2019, June). https://www.globalinnovation.fund/assets/uploads/PDF-Documents/Resources/GIF_practical_impact_v1.01.pdf
About the Author
Sophie Cleff
Sophie is a Senior Associate at The Decision Lab. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from McGill University. She is passionate about applying her research background to interdisciplinary problems, especially related to public health. Before joining The Decision Lab, Sophie worked with the Montreal Children’s Hospital and Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK) to increase the quality, safety, and integrity of research in pediatric medicine. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and playing the guitar.
About us
We are the leading applied research & innovation consultancy
Our insights are leveraged by the most ambitious organizations
“
I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.
Heather McKee
BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST
GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT
OUR CLIENT SUCCESS
$0M
Annual Revenue Increase
By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.
0%
Increase in Monthly Users
By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.
0%
Reduction In Design Time
By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.
0%
Reduction in Client Drop-Off
By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%
