Forbes EQ BrandVoice: How Read Alliance Found A New Way To Measure Impact

For mission-driven nonprofits, proving impact can be difficult without costly research—especially randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that require withholding services. Read Alliance, a literacy tutoring nonprofit, says it found a way to generate strong evidence inside its own operations by using a “natural experiment.” The group used staggered program start dates, comparing students who began tutoring early with those who started later as a “not-yet-treated” control group. Using seven years of data, Read Alliance reported tutored students gained more academically—over half a grade level compared with the comparison group—offering a scalable model based on existing records.