Upbring Announces Innovation Evaluation Calculator
Upbring Innovation Labs is empowering nonprofits to innovate with the addition of its latest tool, the Innovation Evaluation Calculator. Launching this month, the Innovation Evaluation Calculator will empower and enable creative thinkers to advance innovation within their respective industries. The tool was created as a solution to the lack of resources often available to evaluate and conceptualize ideas in the nonprofit space. An important step in the innovation process is the evaluation of an idea’s business merit and impact; Upbring hopes that the accessibility of the Innovation Evaluation Calculator will streamline that process for those looking to take their idea to the next level.
“Innovative ideas themselves are not enough. We aim to empower social entrepreneurs, nonprofits and business leaders to take their ideas and run with them—this begins with quantifying value so that anyone can communicate their innovation’s impact to decision-makers,” shared Ryan Park, Senior Director of Innovation at Upbring. “While project evaluation is a small step in the innovation process, Upbring recognizes that many nonprofits simply don’t have the human capital or expertise to evaluate creative ideas on an ongoing basis, and therein lies their ability to innovate. We hope the Innovation Evaluation Calculator will help address this issue.”
Park also noted that the creation of the tool wouldn’t have been possible without the lab’s generous volunteers at the Unicorn Agency, a web development group, and UX Designer Kai Ho, who helped build the application.
The Innovation Evaluation Calculator assesses four kinds of ideas, including products and services, processes, organizational structures and marketing. Users can select their idea type, then work through the form to input information such as impact, stakeholders, timeframe, budget, etc. At the end of the form, users will be provided with a risk analysis on their idea evaluating its Social Return on Investment (SROI), scalability, outcome measurability, ease of implementation and strategic alignment.
Those interested in putting their innovative ideas to the test can access the calculator at http://innovate.upbring.org/innovation-evaluation-calculator. To learn more about Upbring Innovation Labs and the work being done to provide innovative solutions to various problems facing the child welfare space, visit innovate.upbring.org.
About Upbring Innovation Labs
Upbring Innovation Labs unites the brightest minds with the boldest ideas to shape better childhoods. Through partnerships with entrepreneurs, business leaders, startups and universities, we are turning ideas into real outcomes that will ultimately break the cycle of child abuse.
About Upbring
Upbring is a leading Texas-based, faith-inspired nonprofit organization working to break the cycle of child abuse by empowering children, families and communities. Upbring partners with federal, state and local government agencies, community groups, small businesses, large corporations and dedicated individuals to deliver services that produce measurable progress toward five key markers of every child’s wellbeing: safety, life skills, education, health and vocation. Upbring benefits nearly 30,000 families each year with its life-changing programs—including foster care, adoption, education, children’s centers and community services. While Upbring has evolved over more than 136 years of service, our organization remains firmly focused on delivering innovative programs and services that address the root causes of child abuse and neglect. For more information, please visit upbring.org.