Toronto, Ontario (August 1, 2006) A new market research tool is set to revolutionize the way companies are able to judge the value of their community programs. Thanks to community investment specialists Paul Klein + Associates, a cost-effective system called On the Chart™ is now available to assess the business and public impact of community programs.

Paul Klein, Founder and Principal of Paul Klein + Associates, says up until now, limited internal resources have made it very difficult for companies to measure the effect of their investments in social issues and community organizations.

That's no longer the case.

In partnership with Survey Analytics LLC, developers of QuestionPro, an innovative new web based survey, Klein is in a position to help clients evaluate and improve the impact of these programs.

"Instead of community investments being perceived as simply a cost centre that doesn't make a measurable contribution to the bottom line, these programs can now be evaluated," says Klein. "We've created a way for corporations to quantify something that's historically been very elusive."

Klein has combined his twenty years of experience in the area of community investment with this new technology to offer his clients a better way to ensure their community programs are hitting the mark with stakeholders, whether they are employees, business partners, shareholders or customers.

"We are really pleased that our best in class survey software is being used in such an innovative way. To know that QuestionPro is now helping companies improve their bottom lines and the communities where they do business is really exciting," said Vivek Bhaskaran, President of Survey Analytics LLC.

One of Klein's clients, National Bank has already recognized the benefits of On the Chart™ and will be working with his firm to help uncover the perceptions and priorities of its stakeholders.

It is an established fact that corporations today are expected to contribute to their communities in a meaningful and transparent way. Klein believes that corporations need a reliable tool to ensure they are reflecting the values and ideals their customers hold dear. On the Chart™ will help companies determine if their community strategy reflects the social priorities of their primary stakeholders. It will also ensure that a company's community programs are making a positive, measurable contribution to their core business objectives.

The introduction of On the Chart™, builds on the firm's development of another innovative evaluation tool: the community partnership evaluation. Launched last year, this tool helps corporations determine if their key audiences are aware of their most important partnerships with charitable organizations, and identifies opportunities to increase profile through these partnerships.

Paul Klein + Associates has helped clients such as Canadian Tire Foundation for Families, Husky Injection Moldings, Systems, National Bank of Canada, Pfizer Canada, Staples Business Depot, and 3M Canada add bottom-line value to their community initiatives by providing an unequalled combination of research, strategic planning, communication, and the design of social and community programs.

For more information about Paul Klein + Associates and On the Chart™, please visit www.paulklein.ca.

Impakt Corporation

Impakt Corporation

Impakt's mission is to help corporations increase their social impact on employees, customers and the community. We do this by working with clients such as McKesson Corporation, National Bank, Pfizer, Sanofi-aventis, Starbucks and 3M to strategically align business and social outcomes. Impakt was founded by Paul Klein a thought leader in the field of CSR who writes a blog about corporate responsibility for Canadian Business magazine (http://blog.canadianbusiness.com/category/paul-klein/) and has written extensively on the topic for publications in Canada and the United States.

More from Impakt Corporation