Measuring Impact in Life & Philanthropy

It is hard to imagine Liz and I moved back to Cincinnati 5 years ago this week.

This year has given me a lot of reminders of why we made the decision to start a family in our hometown and the value of having a community.

In 2020, I made the decision to transition my professional scope from the international to local level, but I kept the same focus on being a tide that lifts a lot of boats and making waves that have a significant impact. It is the best decision I’ve made in my career, and the spirit of this city plays a significant role.

Fidelity Investments ranks Cincinnati as the fifth highest supporter of local charities, but the compassionate, generous, and pollyannaish qualities of Cincinnatians are on display to me every day. The Queen City is overflowing with philanthropic energy and one of the best parts of my job is identifying the community partners that are doing the high-quality work in the areas of interest and/or passions of my clients.

I don’t have to search hard to find local examples of entrepreneurial nonprofits using their program’s revenue to invest in and add new programs, or organizations using technology to increase their service efficiency while also growing their staffing year after year.

Before I begin to conduct a landscape scan of major projects or facilitate the search for a community partner for a client, the client and I have a dual-sided conversation to establish a shared understanding of how we are defining impact.

The quantitative side - benchmarks, outcomes, measurement metrics - inform the evaluation. The qualitative piece verifies the human component - expectations, assumptions, goals, needs, etc. - that come with a charitable gift and familial partnership.

The shared interest and optimism in the success of Cincinnati that I've heard when defining impact with clients is one of many reaffirmations of those decisions in 2020.