Genevieve Edens, Impact Assessment Manager for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), shares the inside scoop on next week’s Metrics from the Ground Up conference in Washington, D.C.
Measurement is about more than accountability. It has the potential to build more impactful businesses, improve resource allocation, and support sector-wide efficiency. When impact metrics are integrated with financial and operational metrics, they can help organizations develop better products and services, make better investment decisions, and become more efficient in achieving impact.
To that end, we are excited to announce that Markets for Good is a media partner for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) Metrics from the Ground Up conference that takes place next week, June 14–16, at the Aspen Institute headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Metrics from the Ground Up brings together a diverse group of participants who support entrepreneurs in emerging markets. They work for impact investors and accelerators, and are international development professionals, researchers, and business consultants. And they’re all grappling with how to best assess impact in this emerging field.
When evaluation supports a collective learning agenda—rather than just a single project—it builds knowledge for the entire sector. Evaluations can be actionable for multiple stakeholders and inform strategic decision-making if practitioners understand the existing evidence base and work together to fill the gaps.
At Metrics from the Ground Up, participants will focus on these ideas, and debate how measurement can move “Beyond Silos”—the theme of this year’s event. We will consider ecosystem-level evaluation, systems change, and collective impact. We will learn about ways to integrate impact measurement with operational and financial measurement, and highlight methods to build rapid feedback loops into your work.
Sessions include a discussion of big ideas, with speakers like Cathy Clark of Duke University, John Gargani, the president of the American Evaluation Association, and expertise from organizations like Innovations for Poverty Action, Acumen, the Global Impact Investing Network, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the Social Performance Task Force.
The meeting will also dive into hands-on sessions that will arm participants with skills like dashboard design, harnessing Salesforce for monitoring and evaluation, and rapid testing using the principles of behavioral economics.
There are a few spots left for late registrants, as well as opportunities to get involved for students or recent graduates. If you are interested, get in touch with the ANDE team to find out more!
Finally, stay tuned to Markets for Good for detailed posts on lessons and takeaways from the conference!
Special thanks to Genevieve Edens for her introductory piece on next week’s Metrics from the Ground Up conference. Follow ANDE on Twitter and visit their website to learn more.
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