Community-driven
Introducing our newest board members
On April 21, Common Approach to Impact Measurement held its first Annual General Meeting (AGM). It was an opportunity to look back at the milestones and highlights of the past year before officially kicking off the year ahead.
During the AGM, we also had the pleasure of introducing our new board members! We are very excited to have these three new voices joining the Common Approach Board.
Charles Buchanan
Charles Buchanan is the Founder of Technology Helps. His background is in corporate technology leadership, management consulting and entrepreneurship with senior roles at Suncor Energy, Deloitte, Oracle, MNP, and Royal LePage.
He has also started and worked with numerous technology companies in many areas—from online games and fintech to environmental protection. Charles is a passionate contributor to the community and has served on nonprofit boards for the past 20 years.
Charles stood out for his knowledge of both the tech space and community engagement. Common Approach is lucky to count on someone with as much experience and initiative in shepherding community-led initiatives towards success.
Tamsin Chen
Tamsin Chen is a Masters in Public Policy candidate at Duke University with a background in impact analysis, cost-effectiveness, and effective philanthropy.
Tamsin previously led research and methodology at ImpactMatters, the first organization to rate nonprofits at scale based on their impact and cost-effectiveness. In 2020, ImpactMatters was acquired by industry leader Charity Navigator, where its impact-rating work continues. Tamsin’s past experience includes project management, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and community engagement in rural north and northwest Haiti.
Tamsin contributes an understanding of the impact of charity measuring systems and the imperative of flexibility. She also brings a commitment to supporting needs on the ground and valuable experience with hard data.
Zahra Qureshi
Zahra Qureshi the founder of Optinum Professional Corp. She began her career as a Chartered Professional Accountant where she developed a unique background in accounting, financial management, social impact, and facilitation.
Zahra supports social enterprise and non-profit leaders in building financial sustainability and lasting, effective social change. She is proud to support changemakers who are working on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and have a mission to improve communities, lives, and the environment.
Zahra brings her passion for measurement and for ensuring that people have the tools they need to use measurement to achieve their goals. We are fortunate to have her expertise as a hands-on user of financial and social impact data.
More on the members of the Common Approach board can be found on the Governance page.
About the board-building process
A central premise of the Common Approach’s work is that impact measurement should be community-driven. To this end, we are on a journey to ensure the full board of directors is composed of a diverse range of community members.
The mandate of the Common Approach Board of Directors is to:
- Govern the evolution of the Common Approach Standards;
- Steward the establishment, promotion, and adoption of flexible standards of impact measurement;
- Ensure that the Common Approach is resourced as needed to fulfill the mission;
- Uphold the guiding principles and processes of the Common Approach.
The nominations committee worked with Social Economy through Social Inclusion (SETSI) to develop a board-building process that highlighted the importance of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. In addition, we worked together to ensure the opportunity to join the Common Approach Board reached a wide and diverse audience.
Inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility strengthen the community of social purpose organizations and improve the quality, relevance, and impact of our work.
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Meet the Technical Committee
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