Lesa Ukman Partnerships teams with businesses, nonprofits, sports, festivals and other organizations to maximize the amount of social capital created by their programs, initiatives and sponsorships.
The firm's insights and strategies are backed by primary research and its ProSocial database which enables clients to get the most accurate read on funders, opportunities, trends and more.
In addition to consulting, research and valuation, the company provides services in the areas of expert witness, training and speaking.
The ProSocial Valuation Service: What We Do, Why We Do It
Increasingly, organizations of all types are grounding value creation strategy in social purpose. Sports, arts, entertainment, events and nonprofit partnerships are being used not only to build brands and businesses but also to create social progress.
But until now, measuring the social value created by an initiative has been a black box. Methods have included scorecard and other box-ticking exercises which neither capture the full range of social benefits or costs nor enable comparisons across initiatives. The inability to provide decision-makers a holistic view of the good they are achieving has been the biggest obstacle to growing and scaling investments in this space.
To fill this gap and bring the transformative power of big data and big insights to social good programs, Lesa Ukman Partnerships and Performance Research, thought leaders in researching and valuing sponsorships, public/private partnerships, cause marketing and non-traditional media, have teamed up to create the ProSocial Valuation (PSV) Service.
PSV measures a unit of social impact by mathematically translating it into a single universal currency, introducing transparency, predictability and accountability to the sector.
PSV is:
Agnostic. From cultural heritage to homelessness, we value social capital of all types.
Transparent. We are explicit about what is valued, the value assigned and how we reach our conclusions.
Data-driven. Each assignment of value is supported by primary research.
Universal. PSV introduces a universally understood unit of impact for measuring social capital, enabling comparisons across categories and initiatives.
Actionable. More than a tool for justification, PSV leads to improvements in effectiveness and efficiencies.
Methodology: How PSV Calculates Social Capital
We begin the process by defining the inputs, the types of social capital being created. Step two, we assign the outputs, or values, for each type of social capital. To accurately create this index of metrics, we source the latest research and scores of databases, including our own, and confer with experts. Next, we assess the direct outcomes achieved and apply the normalized output values accordingly.
But not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts. The inability to measure innovation, for example, tends to favor risk-averse initiatives, which are rarely the most effective route to solving problems. We thus identified the six intangibles that most influence value and have the power to generate future progress.
These are:
Audacity. Envisioning big and bold solutions like tackling chronic problems over temporary ones, addressing underlying causes rather than merely treating symptoms.
Connectivity. Deeply engaging with the communities being served and creating buy-in among the many constituencies who can affect the outcomes, rather than taking a top-down or plug-and-play approach.
Capacity. Using data to understand trends, predict behavior and improve.
Ingenuity. Disrupting entrenched approaches with innovative solutions.
Tenacity. Leveraging the time, relationships, sweat and resources required to persevere.
Diversity. Generating revenue and support from multiple sources.
PSV’s algorithm values intangibles by accounting for velocity: the reach and influence of the market(s) in which the program is held. Every city, country and region is valued on a combination of factors including population and soft power, i.e., the ability to persuade by attraction and persuasion rather than by coercion or force. We then assess each intangible by its rank and weight relative to the other five, its individual score and its contribution to outcomes. We add together the value of the outcomes and intangibles to arrive at the total social capital value created. Finally, we divide this sum by the budget to measure social ROI.
Process: Heart + Smart
How PSV Benefits Clients
Improves Outcomes. Learning from results and knowing what’s working, and what’s working even better, enables clients to increase impact by funding what’s working and reallocating resources from programs that are falling short.
Increases Funding. PSV responds to the increasing pressure from donors and investors for concrete measures of success and radical transparency.
Enhances Staff, Volunteer & Influencer Recruitment. By demonstrating momentum towards achieving goals and keeping mission front and center, trust and impact is created internally and externally.
Accelerates Progress. PSV provides a common language and an opportunity for meaningful dialogue.
To receive a sample statement or to discuss a ProSocial Valuation for your organization, please fill out the form below.
WHO WE ARE:
Lesa Ukman Partnerships
With the launch of IEG in 1983, Lesa Ukman created an industry and a movement that changed marketing for good and forever. The analytics she and her colleagues created to select, value and optimize ROI in sponsorships are now used by the worldwide marketplace.
In 2016 she founded Lesa Ukman Partnerships, a return to her entrepreneurial roots and to her lifelong passion for accelerating investments in social good.
The firm’s innovative ProSocial Valuation Service calculates the social capital a given program creates for communities. This enables organizations that do and fund good to harness the power of new technologies and big data to do more good and make more of a difference.
Performance Research
Founded in 1985 by Jed Pearsall and Bill Doyle, Performance Research has been the global leader in measuring the true impact of corporate partnerships with sports leagues and events, entertainment properties and nonprofit organizations.
The success of the business is based on one simple element: Truth. Supported by unbiased, primary research, the company offers clients a full picture of goals achieved and opportunities to improve.
Applying the same principles of objectivity, thoroughness and clarity, Performance Research is replacing ad-hoc, anecdotal accounts about the value of Pro Social Investments with fact-based measurement to methodically uncover the economic value of doing good.
We help sponsors and rightsholders reach exponential growth by providing them with the right tools, services and training. Contact us or sign up for updates.