The Vision
Where Connection Becomes Measurable
Participation is shrinking. Data is scattered. Trust is fragile.
Semora Commons was created to explore one question:
Can belonging and trust be measured—and strengthened—at scale?
We’re envisioning a shared framework that helps nonprofits see what drives connection, how trust grows, and where it breaks—because when the social sector loses its connective power, philanthropy and the communities it serves drift further apart.
At its core are two simple KPIs:
BTS (Belonging & Trust Score)
—how seen, aligned, and confident people feel in relation to your mission.
CES (Communications Effectiveness Score)
—how awareness and resonance translate into participation, giving, and loyalty.
Together, they create a common language—linking communication and culture, insight and action—so nonprofits can see trust rising alongside revenue, and rebuild the relationships that sustain their work.
How it Works
Together, these stages outline how the concept could be validated and refined through real-world testing—as part of my Executive MBA capstone project.
Semora builds belonging and trust the way strong communities do—by listening, connecting, and learning. Each stage strengthens the next, creating a continuous feedback loop that turns connection into intelligence.
They’re two halves of the same loop:
BTS is the state of belonging.
CES is the signal that influences it.
Belonging is the outcome; communication is the input. When they move together, your storytelling and trust-building are aligned. When they diverge, you know where to intervene.
Stage 1:
Listen
Measuring
What Matters
Measure belonging and trust through the Core Index—a 25-item survey that maps both the Action and Belonging Funnels. You’ll see where people advance, where they stall, and what drives connection.
Key features:
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Belonging & Trust Score (BTS)
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Communications Effectiveness Score (CES)
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Awareness & Belonging Dual Funnels
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Values & Identity Segmentation
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Board-Ready Insights Report
Stage 2:
Connect
Seeing the
Whole Picture
Integrate giving, engagement, and communications data into one clear view—showing not just what people do, but why they stay.
Dashboards will visualize patterns across households and segments, giving teams a shared lens on belonging in action.
Key features:
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Integrated CRM & Channel Ecosystem
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Integrated A/B Testing Across Channels
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Real-Time Dashboards
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Trendlines for BTS & CES
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Alerts for Belonging Drift
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Cohort Benchmarking
Stage 3:
Predict
Turning Insight
Into Action
Insight only matters if it drives change. As more nonprofits join, Semora’s collective intelligence begins to emerge—identifying what drives trust, forecasting when connection may fade, and recommending next-best actions to strengthen relationships before they weaken.
Key features:
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Predictive Models (Retention, Upgrade, Advocacy)
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Next-Best-Action Recommendations
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Trust & Transparency Validation
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Message Resonance Analysis
As participation grows, Semora’s intelligence compounds—turning individual insight into collective progress and activating a powerful network effect. Shared dashboards benchmark results in real time, while the Civic Trust Index tracks belonging and trust across sectors.
Stage 4:
Optimize
Learning
Together
Key features:
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AI Message Analyzer
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Automated A/B Learning
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Benchmarking Dashboards
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Narrative Playbooks
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Network Effect
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Civic Trust Index
Core Index Framework
The Core Index is a 25-item survey that measures belonging, trust, and communication with research-grade precision. To deepen insights, Semora securely appends data from trusted external sources—demographic, values-based, and philanthropic—filling gaps most nonprofit CRMs can’t capture. Between Core Index cycles, a short 3- to 5-item Pulse Survey tracks belonging, trust, and communications resonance over time, ensuring trends remain visible and comparable across cohorts.
What the Core Index Measures
Together, these six behavioral dimensions drive engagement, belonging, and loyalty:
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Action Funnel—awareness → engagement
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Belonging Funnel (4N)—Noticed, Named, Known, Needed
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Values & Identity Segmentation—grounded in Schwartz’s Values Theory and operationalized through Moral Foundations and the Harmony Quadrant to map how values, worldviews, and motivations shape connection
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Brand Resonance—how well messages align with values and identity, building on Harmony Labs’ research on narrative and agency
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Belonging & Trust Score (BTS)—how seen, aligned, and confident supporters feel
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Communications Effectiveness Score (CES)—how awareness and resonance drive giving and loyalty
