The purpose of defining and measuring philanthropic return on investment (PROI) is to give Insaan’s clients an index whereby they may understand the overall effects and prospects of their philanthropic allocations relatively quickly and easily in the same way as they can track the effects of their money-making investments.

Because PROI is more complex then measuring a financial return on investment, given its intended aim to effect a wide spectrum of changes in the lives of individuals and societies, it has to be inherently innovative and draw on multiple fields and perspectives  that of the end-user being at the center.

PROI will:

• Be program specific;
• Contain both quantitative and qualitative data; and
• Track long-term and short-term effects of gifts.

The process of tracking PROI begins with a careful and thorough process of venture selection and due diligence.