I’ve been speaking to the main energy coalitions (Apollo Alliance, EFC, NCEP, Set America Free, and SAFE) and learning of their recent accomplishments.
Most of these successes are difficult to quantify for purposes of PR or program evaluation. A useful tool for them, and other parties, to better quantify and portray their success, would be some metrics for measuring success. I have proposed some metrics below that came up in conversations with the coalitions. Do you think these are useful items to consider. I would appreciate suggestions for additional metrics, proposals to drop metrics, and suggestions for how to quantify some of them.
· Energy bills, policies, and regulations enacted at local, state, and federal levels.
· Bringing Republicans and Democrats together.
· Spurring discussion of alternative forms of energy in new circles.
· Spurring discussion of environmental issues in new circles.
· Public opinion on energy issues as reflected in polls or politician’s reactions.
· Public exposure (media).
· Innovation in energy policy (even if not passed).
· Reductions in energy intensity.
· Investment in renewables and sequestration.
2 comments
April 3rd, 2006 at 8:28 pm
David Moffat
I think metrics are essential in any field, especially one, like Climate Change, based on science and desperately in need of quickly advancing public and political opinion towards changing behaviour. Lord Kelvin had it right:
“When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge of it is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced it to the stage of science.”
April 20th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
Richard
I would expect that measuring success is a high priority for many sorts of non-profit organizations and, for that matter, advertisers. There must be a huge body of research on this out there, if not in the non-profits realm than without doubt in the market research realm.
I would also expect that in the world of philanthropy - that is, organizations and journals for philanthropists, foundations, all sorts of funders - there is attention paid to this issue. Funders certainly would have an interest in quantifying the success of the organizations they support.
They might not publicize their findings, of course, but I don’t see why their assessment *methods* would necessarily be confidential.