How Does Models of Impact Work?

Models of Impact is a strategic business-design methodology that was developed by verynice, a global design strategy consultancy. Our mission is to promote legacy and entrepreneurship in the social impact community by developing tools and resources that make it easy (and fun!) to design disruptive business models. Our method is comprised of a simple 4-step process: Learn, Invent, Program, and Report.

Obtaining and Using the Toolkit

The Models of Impact toolkit is available at modelsofimpact.co, and is available on a Pay-What-You-Want basis. The average user pays $3.29 per download. Once you confirm your download, you will receive a link to download the toolkit, along with an email confirmation from GumRoad.

What’s Inside the Models of Impact Toolkit?

Once you’ve downloaded the toolkit, you will find a series of folders filled with PDFs and other helpful files. The best place to start? MOI_Toolkit.pdf. This file includes everything you need to know regarding getting started with the toolkit, especially instructions on how the methodology works in the context of consulting, educating, entrepreneurship, and in-house innovation management.

MOI_Glossary.pdf is packed with 101 impact and revenue models that are clearly and simply defined. Reference this to learn all about the various models out there in the business world and beyond.

MOI_Worksheets.pdf has some helpful worksheets to leverage while leveraging the methodology.

The MOI_Resources folder includes helpful diagrams, figures, maps, and even some printable dice for you to use when you play the Models of Impact game.

Finally, the MOI_Icons and MOI_Illustrations folders have all kinds of visual supplements for all the design-loving social entrepreneurs out there including a set of open source icons, illustrations, and patterns that are free to use how/wherever you want.

Learn

The first step in the Models of Impact framework is “Learn”. During this stage, you are encouraged to study the glossary, found in the main MOI_Toolkit folder upon downloading. In addition to definitions, we also provide sample brands for users to further investigate.

Invent

After you have taken some time to immerse yourself in the models, it is time to make your own model. As you will discover in the MOI_Toolkit.pdf document, this can be done in a number of ways depending on the amount of players as well as the ambition of the user (i.e. starting a new business form scratch, enhancing an existing business, or launching a new initiative with a business or organization). Most commonly, this process begins with the group deciding upon a list of 6, 10, 12, or 20 factors that represent their interests and passions. For example:

1 — Drones, 2 — Dogs, 3 — Lava Lamps, 4 — Autonomous, 5 — Vehicles, 6 — Arts Education

Next, based on the findings from the “Learn” phase, users create two additional lists of equal length: Impact Models and Revenue Models. Because we had 6 factors above, we will have to select 6 Impact Models and 6 Revenue Models to play with:

1 — One for One, 2 — Jobs for Transitional Communities, 3 — Recycle/Upcycle, 4 — Social Awareness, 5 — Access to Education, 6 — Local Jobs

1 — Pay-What-You-Want, 2 — eCommerce, 3 — Freemium, 4 — Free Sample, 5 — B2B, 6 — B2C

Now that we have our three lists of equal length, grab a die with the corresponding amount of sides (6 in our case!), and begin to roll random combinations of factors from each list. This is typically done over the course of several rounds that escalate in complexity. For the purpose of demonstration, we will roll 1 factor from each list:

Factor 1 — Lava Lamps, Factor 2 — Recycle/Upcycle, Factor 3 — eCommerce

Now that we have our three factors to play with, we attempt to invent a new business, product, or service that combine all three of these seamlessly. Because this is just one of up to 5 rounds we might be engaging in, it is important to document your idea so that you can recall it later in the process. For example:

My company creates lava lamps out of recycled glass, and sells them online by way of an eCommerce website.

Program

After going through several rounds of invention, the toolkit asks you to pick your favorite concept in order to take it through the “program” phase. During the program phase we go from blue sky to planet earth in order to develop a business plan using the Models of Impact Canvas. The canvas, available in the MOI_Resources folder as well as the MOI_Worksheets.pdf, is comprised of 13 questions that serve as the framework for a business plan draft.

Report

Finally, after completing the canvas, you are tasked with presenting your idea with the rest of the group (or if you are playing alone, presenting your idea to a friend). The purpose of the “Report” phase is to practice pitching ideas, and to be open to quick feedback.

In a nutshell, that is the Models of Impact framework! To learn more, and to dig in, download the toolkit and go for it! Any questions? Email info@verynice.co. Thanks!