The Michael J Fox Foundation's performance metrics and research strategy

Michael J Fox Foundation is the world's largest non-profit organization for the funding of research that is dedicated to finding a cure for the estimated five million people living with Parkinson's disease. The organization has funded more than five hundred million dollars of research through the end of 2014 which is mostly targeted at groundbreaking high-risk and high-reward research targets (Eisner Amper, 2015). The organization has four primary objectives that include:

Collaboration with industry leaders, academic scientist, and government research funders

Using new technologies to amplify patient voices in research

Mobilizes patients and their family to increase participants in clinical trials

Coordinates the grassroots involvement of Team Fox members

The organization is largely transparent and publishes its financial statements publically on their website. The organization makes the claim that 89 cents of every dollar that it spends goes directly to grants and other initiatives that are directed at finding a cure for Parkinson's disease (The Micael J Fox Foundation, N.d.).

The staff at the MJFF is largely composed of volunteers and only a small core administration team are paid human resources. The volunteers host a plethora of events worldwide to generate revenue and build awareness. For example, there are various Team Fox holiday events, national and local concerts, and walks and marathons among many others. The organization is also heavily dependent upon technology to promote their cause with a special emphasis on social media. The organization has several resources for patients and their families that range from everything from information, to volunteering, to participating in clinical trials.

Given the organization's high-risk and high-reward strategy for funding research, it can be difficult to identify meaningful performance metrics. For example, the organization is striving for a breakthrough cure and most all of its funding is devoted to that end. Therefore, the ultimate success metric will be whether or not the organization and its affiliates are able to find the cure to Parkinson's disease. However, there can be other metrics identified to guide the organization towards its primary objective. For instance, the organization can maintain its high ratio of research funding to donations. Currently the organization donates 89 cents of every dollar and such a commitment to funding research will ensure that the organization uses the maximum amount of funding possible to directly support research efforts. Another possible performance metric could be the breakdown of investment priorities and the percentage of funding that is devoted to altering the disease.

Figure 1 - Investment Priorities (MJFF, N.d.)