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Balancing Life's Demands

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Is Newdea the "Big Idea" for Gauging the True Impact of Today's Nonprofits?

After 45 individual business plans, Troy Stremler believes he is ready to give donors (and ministry leaders) what they've always wanted
Outcomes, Nov/Dec 2007, Vol. 31, No. 6

In 1999, at a skinny-legged table inside The Blue Moon Café of Puna, India, Troy Stremler saw the unmistakable look of hunger. Her name was Carol. She lived in Austin, Texas. She sat with her husband, Glenn, and a group of five other couples, all of whom were major donors to Mission Builders, the international outreach ministry Troy served as a CEO.

Carol, Glenn and the ten others were wide-eyed at what they had witnessed that morning: A medical clinic and school run by an indigenous group was treating scores of children and families, in the middle of one of the worst slums in Puna on a whopping annual budget of $73,000.

Carol's appetite was now whetted. "I need 50 of those projects to support. But how do I find them? How can I be sure the organization is doing what they say they're doing and isn't keeping me from being a good steward?" (In short, she was asking, "How can I know that the ministry I support is all about making significant, measureable results?")

Recalling Carol's comment, Stremler says, "Every person around the table that day in India began opening up with similar feelings. They wanted the assurance their dollars were going to make a difference. Once they saw the ministry's effectiveness, once they saw the results of their giving and felt the confidence that comes with seeing quantifiable proof of impact, they wanted to know how more of their money could be given for maximizing impact."

Newdea: Synonym for "Show us what works"

Outcome-based management. Quantifiable results. Performance-driven. Any way you say it, these metric-minded watchwords have now become synonymous with "organizational effectiveness." Foundations, major donors and monthly supporters, as well as ministry constituents and user groups are saying, "Show us the quantifiable, compelling proof, how you're making an impact. Show us what works."

The nonprofits that take the early lead in responding to this plea will benefit the most because they'll exemplify a sincere desire for and proactive commitment to transparent communication to their stakeholders. Which is why Newdea may truly be the next "big idea," living out its self-declared promise to be "the true measure of philanthropic impact." 

The café conversation in Puna became a starting point for Stremler. "I thought to myself if people are that frustrated giving their money away, if those with resources are so besieged with requests that they don't know whom to trust or where to turn, how do you help them? How do you put the joy back into giving?"