Fierce Certified Scoring
- 20 points - Has Ultimate Life-Changing Outcome Goal(s) As Its Primary Target
- 15 points - Measures Intermediate Outcomes
- 20 points - Measures Ultimate Outcomes
- 20 points - Measures Intermediate and/or Ultimate Counterfactuals
- 25 points - Shows Continual Learning & Adaptation
Fierce Certification score has a base of 100 points, distributed across the five criteria. An organization that scores 75 points or above meets the minimal Fierce standard: genuine thriving, wellbeing, and quality-of-life goals; intermediate and ultimate life-changing outcome measurement; evidence of continual learning and adaptation.
Partial Credit and the Honest Gradations of Evidence
Not every criterion is binary. On several criteria, organizations can receive partial credit that reflects the genuine state of their evidence: stronger than nothing, but not yet at the full standard. An organization that has identified clear ultimate life-changing goals but has not yet operationalized them as measurable targets receives partial credit on Criterion 1. An organization that has direct evidence of ultimate life-changing outcomes but only for a subset of its participant population receives partial credit on Criterion 3.
These partial credit awards are important signals to funders. A certification summary that shows 10/20 points on ultimate life-changing goals tells you something very different from 0/20 points: this organization understands the concept, has made some progress, but has not completed the journey. A 10/20 points on counterfactual evidence tells you an organization has begun building the evidence base but has not reached the full rigorous standard. These gradations are more informative than a simple certified or not certified designation.
The honest gradation of evidence is also important because it helps funders match their giving to their confidence level. Some funders are comfortable making larger bets on organizations at 75/100 points that are clearly moving in the right direction. Others want the full 100 points before committing significant resources. The Fierce Certified Marketplace supports both orientations by showing the full score breakdown, not just a pass or fail.
How to Interpret a Certification Score
A score of 100/100 points means the organization meets the full Fierce standard plus has rigorous counterfactual evidence on both intermediate and ultimate outcomes. This is a strong, confident recommendation.
A score of 85-95 points indicates an organization with genuine ultimate life-changing goals, strong direct evidence on both intermediate and ultimate outcomes, and a demonstrated feedback loop, but with limited counterfactual evidence at one or both levels. Still a strong recommendation, but with an honest note about the evidence gap.
A score below 75 points indicates an organization that has not yet demonstrated the foundational commitment to life-changing accountability that the Fierce standard requires. These organizations can be worth supporting if they are committed to closing those gaps and if you are comfortable with the level of evidence uncertainty the score reflects.
