Thinking on Scaling Impact: Evidence Is Not Enough
Heron Fellow Rodney Christopher asks philanthropists and nonprofits: Are we focusing enough on enterprise when we seek to increase the impact of evidence-based programs?
The rhetoric and practice around “funding what works”—scaling the impact of programs that have proven success rates—runs the risk of perpetuating a nagging problem for the nonprofit sector: excellent programs cannot exist without healthy organizations. Just as the iPad would not likely be a success without Apple,* a program that achieves greater health outcomes cannot succeed without a strong organization that creates, administers, markets, delivers and improves that program. The difference is, we all accept that Apple is an enterprise, which builds the cost of these functions into its product pricing. It is understood that profitability is a pre-requisite to healthy growth.