OPTIMIZING IMPACT MEASUREMENT: HOW NONPROFIT BOARD SERVICEEFFECTS CORPORATE EMPLOYEES

Cause Strategy Partners (CSP) is a certified B-Corporation that connects diverse networks of talented professionals to nonprofit board service opportunities. One of CSP’s key initiatives is BoardLead, an online platform that introduces employees from corporate and strategic partner networks to nonprofits seeking board members, and provides training for potential board members. CSP enlisted a Capstone team to measure and communicate the impact of nonprofit board service on BoardLead’s corporate participants. The team conducted a literature review exploring impact measurement as it pertains to corporate social responsibility (CSR), volunteering, and nonprofit board service, and a landscape analysis examining peer experiential leadership training companies, impact measurement organizations, and resources that CSP could use to enhance its evaluation practices. These findings informed a series of qualitative impact interviews with BoardLead alumni and corporate partners’ CSR teams. The team’s final report includes recommendations addressing data management, evaluation design, and impact storytelling.