The Ethos Lever Model: Activation, Explained
The Ethos Lever Model utilizes fourteen different “Levers” by which an organization can make an impact. Each Lever serves a real opportunity to create value - but when strategically pulled together, result in a powerful and cohesive Social Impact strategy.
In this blog series, the Ethos team breaks down each Lever - complete with expanded definitions and real-life examples - so you can best understand how to pull the right Levers through your organization's social impact work. See all 14 Levers here.
Lever: Activation
Ethos Tracking was built to support anyone looking to track the total of their social impact work – so beyond businesses and individuals, that also includes nonprofits. Activation refers to nonprofits’ programmatic and educational work related to their core mission – the reason they exist as an organization.
Maximize Activation Initiatives:
- Prioritize metrics! Look to collect data wherever it makes sense.
- Ensure your organization’s mission is clear – to both internal and external audiences
- Consider ways to honor your mission through every decision and action your organization takes
Examples: Measuring Activation
1. Small organization: A local food bank seeks to show funders good stewardship of donations and online enthusiasm for its work.
2. Medium organization: A childhood music education nonprofit needs to track volunteer hours, trace monies raised to specific campaigns, and evaluate mission-aligned vendors.
3. Large organization: An NGO dedicated to eliminating child poverty is interested in converting its endowment to an impact investing portfolio and measure efforts to activate celebrity gala attendees.
4. Multichapter organization: An organization with 35 local chapters across the country needs to evaluate each site’s direct programming efficacy and national interest in online awareness campaigns.
5.Foundation: A Foundation built out an impact investment portfolio that supports strategic philanthropic and community partners, but it needs better analytics on impact across multiple issue areas.