How Sheri Chaney Jones Is Revolutionizing the Social Sector Through Data-Driven Impact

Photo courtesy of Sheri Chaney Jones

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As digitalization has turned the world into a single business platform, brands are becoming more conscious about enhancing their social image to build credibility. While organizations keep a keen eye on their social impact, the assessment method is still traditional. It is where Sheri Chaney Jones, the founder of SureImpact, has introduced a much-needed transformation, helping companies achieve data-driven excellence to assess their social impact without relying solely on outputs and feedback. 

Sheri Jones is a visionary and social change entrepreneur spearheading the operations of SureImpact, an impact management and measuring tool. She is blazing the trail, transforming the social sector through the power of data. Raised in Ohio, Sheri’s journey into social impact exemplifies a relentless passion to make a difference. 

Growing up, Sheri had dyslexia. Her struggles with learning ignited her fascination for data-driven assessments, their potential, and predictive analytics. Sheri realized that the standardized tests failed to capture her true potential. She perceived it as a challenge to the limitations of data’s assumptions and labels. It paved the foundation for her lifelong commitment to unraveling the untapped possibilities of data in personal and professional development. 

Sheri studied industrial and organizational psychology at The Ohio State University and Central Michigan. She leveraged her knowledge to delve deeper into predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making. Her commitment to excellence and innovation became more evident as she embarked on a mission to create a pioneering tool combining mental health characteristics with suitable job placements. This passion shaped her data-driven approach that is eventually uplifting lives and organizations. 

As the Deputy Director of Performance Evaluation at the Franklin County Juvenile Court at 26, Sheri noticed that some court programs were indirectly causing harm to children. She used data to write a series of success stories that created her legacy. Eventually, she assumed the role of the Director of the Performance Center at the Ohio Department of Aging. During the Great Recession of 2008, Sheri majorly contributed to creating the Long-Care Savings Calculator, which showed the transformative potential of data in saving the state substantial resources even amid crisis. 

Sheri’s passion for entrepreneurship finally led her to add a new dimension to her career. She tried discovering the reasons limiting organizations, especially in nonprofit sectors, from leveraging data more effectively. To seek answers, Sheri conducted a comprehensive national study on the use of data in nonprofit and government organizations. She shared her knowledge from this study in her influential book titled Impact and Excellence. 

Sheri’s study concluded that organizations actively utilizing data are more likely to thrive financially and achieve a more significant impact. This revelation led to the foundation of her first venture, Measurement Resources Company, a firm dedicated to assisting government bodies, nonprofits, social enterprises, and foundations to make well-informed decisions by leveraging the potential of data. 

Realizing the importance of adding a crucial data measurement tool to the market, Sheri launched SureImpact in 2018. SureImpact is not just an impact management and reporting solution but a revolution in social impact. It provides real-time access to data-driven insights to ensure accountability. The tool closes the gap between actions and effects, helping organizations measure and communicate their social impact more effectively. 

Sheri envisions a world where data empowers change, which has become the core principle of SureImpact. In her mission to transform the social sector through the revolutionary power of data, SureImpact has emerged as an indispensable tool. The solution is setting innovation standards and helping organizations develop a more robust social presence.