Recently, at the annual The Philanthropy Workshop West alumni conference, I was asked to speak about Invoking The Pause (ITP).  In preparing my remarks and thinking about ways to discuss the impacts and progress of  ITP for the presentation, I realized that I needed to create some new, non-traditional metrics.

So I coined 2 new terms, ROR (Return on Relationship) and Collateral Delight.

1. “ROR” (Return on Relationship) vs. “ROI”:

Organizations always seem to look at the “ROI,” Return on Financial Investment, particularly in the wake of an explosion of social enterprises and “philanthro-capitalism.”

There is no question that utilizing metrics can create more informed approaches to giving and create accountability in an organization. Some may even argue that metrics create more precise ways to analyze solutions to complex problems.

However, these left-brain, finite measurements fail to accurately represent the heart and soul of an organization.

How do we measure our return on the relationships  (“ROR”) that we cultivate consciously, or those which serendipitously come into our lives? How does one describe what is generated from them?  One chance  meeting can precipitate the resolution of a missing link in the vital solutions we require at this critical time of climate descent.

The most poignant questions to ask are those which are the hardest to answer. Relationships cannot and should not be quantified. We would never consider placing metrics on our friendships or family — I shudder at the concept! This metric is one that must be measured by a felt experience rather than quantifiable proof.

Many donors choose to be anonymous — it provides an element of security and, additionally, allows for a perceived element of objectivity in the process of grant funding. For the first two years of Invoking the Pause, I  chose to remain anonymous.

My own process of “coming out” to the grant partners at the Convening has yielded much growth and personal discovery.  The Convening was designed, in part,  to create opportunities for me to get to know the grant partners as individuals,  and  also for them to get to know each other  as individuals and in the broader context of their work.

By the second year of ITP, I saw possible opportunities for collaboration among the grant partners. I saw the linkages and was excited about creating possibilities for their engagement with each other, which led to my envisioning and creating the Convening at the end of the third year of ITP. The fantastic relationships that were cultivated at the Convening would never have been possible had I remained anonymous.

The process of becoming a visible funder to the grant partners means I have to show up and be present. And this has invigorated a core part of my vision: to be a webweaver among ideas and people in service of  generating climate change ideas and potential solutions; to help the Grant Partners to expand their networks; and to facilitate the cultivation and implementation of their visions–  if and whenever possible.

Because of my decision to become visible, I now have forged personal relationships with the Grant Partners. And I want to invest further in their work, help them take their projects to the next level of development and also encourage cross-pollination  among them–-these steps constitute my “Return on Relationship”.

 

2. “Collateral Delights” vs. Collateral Damage:

How do we measure all the delightful aspects of our experiences?  Do they not have an intrinsic value for our hearts, minds & spirits?

For example, the unintended consequences and synergies that result when brilliant minds are convened together, or the unquantifiable sensation of discovery.

These experiences may not be capable of a “bottom-line analysis”—but don’t they deserve to be acknowledged and recognized as part of our being human?

Much has blossomed from my relationships with the ITP Grant Partners, and even more creative solutions for climate change have transpired as a result of their relationships and connections  with each other.

For example, one of my recent Collateral Delights: at the time of this blog posting, the next phase of funding proposals from our Grant Partners features 3 teams of collaborative projects!

Three separate projects,  each where two Grant Partners teamed up, have applied for grant  funding combining their talents and innovative thinking into new projects which would not have been born had they not met each other at the Convening.  Stay tuned, by March 31st we will announce which — projects will be funded for the coming year.

What I am pointing to is a more holistic, integrated view of philanthropy, climate change and social enterprise. If social entrepreneurship is to succeed, it will be at the brilliant nexus of creativity,  intelligence, and unexpected consequences.   In our quest for bottom line objectivity, let us not forget that creativity and the muse  also generate experiences that should be included as  outcomes worthy in their own right.

–Maggie Kaplan is the Executive Director of Invoking the Pause