Approach — Social Return Advisory

Most impact analysis falls into one of two extremes: academically rigorous but impractical, or operationally useful but analytically shallow. This work is designed to bridge that gap.

My approach is shaped by experience across the full spectrum: from working with local, community-led nonprofits in Uganda to implementing randomized controlled trials with the World Bank in Tanzania, to leading impact at Kiva.org, and most recently serving as Chief Impact Officer at GitLab Foundation.

At GitLab Foundation, I built the foundation's impact measurement and learning function from the ground up. I also built and launched an impact advisory function that worked with some of the largest U.S. foundations on investment decision-making and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Across this work:

— Developed and applied 300+ pre-investment social ROI and cost-effectiveness models, informing over $55M in funding decisions across 200+ grants
— Created a cost-effectiveness measure focused on relative income change: the cost to double income for life (DIL)
— Launched a Learning for Action Fund to strengthen evidence and measurement capacity in nonprofits
— Worked with funders influencing over $1B in annual funding

Rigorous methods matter, but most funding decisions cannot wait for perfect evidence.

The goal is not academic certainty, but decision-ready estimates grounded in the best available evidence, with clear assumptions and transparent tradeoffs. That is the standard I apply to every engagement.

Additional background

LinkedIn → Spencer MacColl