The topic of Determining Your Venture’s
Social Impact is not an unfamiliar one, for those of us in the Arts
Management program. Grant-makers and donors increasingly demand to see results
quantified in the arts, in a world that offers inherently qualitative
experiences. Sure, we can measure how many “butts in seats” we have, but does
that tell us anything about the quality of the experience?
In the article When Measuring Social
Impact, We Need to Move Beyond Counting, Mike McCreless (Director of
Strategy and Impact, Root Capital) suggests that “Impact business model
analysis can provide an integrated way to think about which combinations of
contexts, inputs, and practices will support which financial and social objectives
of an organization.” The Stanford Social Innovation Review Calculated
Impact, by Paul Brest, Hal Harvey, & Kelvin Low, describes the
assumptions that must be made in order to quantitatively measure expected
social return on investments.
Even after reading these informative articles
on measuring impact, I must admit that the thought of doing this for the iCraft
Path team’s proposed venture is daunting. I decided to look into local resources
that may be helpful for those at this stage of their ventures:
|
Resources Available
|
Website
|
Description
|
Price
|
|
Business Volunteers for the Arts
|
Business Volunteers for the Arts® (BVA) brings the knowledge of
the business world to the needs of the arts. Artists and organizations are
provided with assistance in the areas of financial and strategic planning,
marketing, information technology, human resources and more.
|
There are two price levels to participate in the workshops:
GPAC Members: $35.00 Non- GPAC Member: $50.00 |
|
|
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
|
CLP's website has a "Starting a Small Business" section, which includes: Useful Web Sites and "Must Have" Publications |
Free
|
|
|
Duquesne Small Business Development
Center
|
The SBDC
offers no-cost, confidential consulting services and training workshops for
small businesses and those who are thinking of starting a business in
southwestern Pennsylvania.
|
Free
|
|
|
SCORE
|
Pittsburgh SCORE serves aspiring and existing small business
entrepreneurs and owners in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh SCORE
counselors offer both local and online workshops. SCORE also offers free
mentoring, tools and templates for writing a business plan, financing your
business, marketing, complying with government regulations, etc.
|
Mentoring is free. Small Business Basics Workshop: $45; Chatham
University & SCORE Small Business Basics Workshop: $30
|
|
|
Small Business Administration
|
Since its founding on July 30, 1953, the U.S. Small Business
Administration has delivered millions of loans, loan guarantees, contracts,
counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses. Its
learning center provides online courses, videos, and chat sessions.
|
Free
|
Has anyone utilized these resources/can attest
to their value? Are there other small
business resources you can recommend?
No comments:
Post a Comment