Mismeasuring Impact: How Randomized Controlled Trials Threaten the Nonprofit Sector

Abstract

The push to demonstrate effectiveness has made randomized controlled trials the presumed “gold standard” for nonprofit evaluation. Drawing on extensive interviews with nonprofit managers, evaluators, and foundation officers, this book explains why RCTs are so often the wrong tool for the sector — what happens inside organizations that adopt them, the equity problems they create, and what to do instead.

Cite

@book{marwell2025mismeasuring,
  author = {Marwell, Nicole P. and Mosley, Jennifer E.},
  title = {Mismeasuring Impact: How Randomized Controlled Trials Threaten the Nonprofit Sector},
  publisher = {Stanford University Press},
  year = {2025},
  url = {https://www.sup.org/books/mismeasuring-impact}
}