Despite all the important work accomplished by nonprofit organizations over the last hundred years, significant growth or scaled impact has remained an elusive goal for most of them. Even the most effective mission-driven organizations face the daunting challenge of scaling social impact. Most have remained small in proportion to the social problem that they work to improve. The inability to achieve scale – that is, to make a meaningful and sustainable impact by reaching greater numbers of people – has limited the potential of these organizations and the people and causes they serve. Simply put, society’s complex and pressing challenges call for solutions with a greater scale of impact.
Attached is also the RISE Social Venture Rubric: A Diagnostic Tool, developed at Columbia Business School to aid in the evaluation of social ventures.