New body launches to promote the analysis of non-profit organisations

By: 

Cheryl Chapman

Managing Editor, Philanthropy UK

Three organisations have come together to establish the Social Impact Analysts (SIA) Association, a pioneering international membership body designed to support the practice and profession of analysing not-for-profits with the aim of building stronger, more vibrant organisations.

The founding partners of the SIA Association are charity think tank and consultancy New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), the Bertelsmann Foundation, a private foundation based in Germany, and the Adessium Foundation, a private foundation located in the Netherlands.

The first of its kind, the SIA Association, will bring together individuals from around the world who are seeking to understand what makes not-for-profits effective, to exchange knowledge and share best practice.

Donors are increasingly interested in understanding the impact their donations make and with the advent of the impact investment market, measurement and evaluation of organisations and the work they do is seen as a crucial factor in attracting funds from trusts, foundations and individual donors.

The professionals involved in analysing impact — who might be based in foundations, businesses, universities or in notfor- profits themselves — need greater opportunity for on-going dialogue on social impact analysis and to exchange approaches and methodologies, says Sue Wixley of NPC.

She says the organisation is not partisan about the best way to carry out such analysis, and the purpose of the network will help to improve understanding and standards and, ultimately, could boost the way not-for-profit organisations work.

Dr Brigitte Mohn of the Bertelsmann Foundation says: “We look forward to seeing members work towards a better understanding of the charity and non-profit sector, and in this way, contributing to building a healthy and vibrant sector in Europe and beyond.”

The Association aims to support individual professionals involved in this diverse practice and to nurture and promote the profession of social impact analysis, contributing towards the development of this as a career.

Wixley says the association will be shaped by its members:“Whether you’re an evaluation officer at a charity, a grant-making officer at a foundation or an academic interested in how charities work, we’d like you to get involved in this new network.”

The decision to set up the SIA Association follows several years of extensive consultation, including a ‘Valuing impact’ conference in the summer of 2009 and market research in 2007, where participants and respondents showed their enthusiasm for the idea of a new professional body.

Recruitment is now underway for a coordinator, who will be based in NPC’s London office and will be responsible for managing the process of setting up a new organisation and promoting it to members. The Association will open its doors to new members in the late summer and the first annual conference of the SIA Association is planned for late 2011.