If you think of a social-change effort as a fraction, the denominator represents the size of a given social need, while the numerator exemplifies what a given organization is currently accomplishing to reduce that need.

For example, Kaivalya Education Foundation’s denominator is 700,000—all the government primary schools that arc across India and could potentially do far more to enhance children’s education. The nonprofit’s numerator is 1,200—the number of primary schools the organization is currently impacting through its leadership training workshops for principals.

Compared to the need ... 10,000 schools is ultimately irrelevant. What’s relevant is all 700,000 schools.

Dissatisfied with incremental progress, they put much of their focus on the all-encompassing need, while remaining flexible in confronting it. This mind-set is especially common among Indian nonprofits that excel at extending their reach to a broad population of constituents.

In a country where more than 280 million people are illiterate, more than 25 million children suffer from acute malnutrition, and 750 million people lack access to basic sanitation, denominator thinkers go for maximum progress, not perfection.

Read the full article by Soumitra Pandey, Rohit Menezes, & Swati Ganeti at Stanford Social Innovation Review