| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Nonprofit Performance: Outcome Measurement Can Be A Good Thing
Does the idea of program evaluation make your stomach churn? If so, you're not alone. Many nonprofit professionals and volunteers view program evaluation with fear. The idea of outcome measurement often takes these fears to new heights. Program evaluation is about learning and communicating what you've learned. Program evaluation gives you concrete, credible information about what you are doing well and why; it also gives you concrete, credible information about areas where improvements are needed and why. Outcome measurement is a form of program evaluation that answers the "so what" questions. It helps us understand what has changed in the lives of the people we reach because of our activities. It could be a change in attitude, behavior, knowledge or any number of things depending upon the mission of the organization. It helps us understand the difference we make and it helps us communicate that understanding to our donors, constituents and the community. It helps us communicate value. I have found that there are three key issues that raise fears about outcome measurement. Let's examine those issues. 1. Outcome measurement takes an enormous amount of agency resources and staff time. Outcome measurement is a different way of looking at what you do. However, measuring outcomes often builds on feedback or information you already collect. You may already ask clients to give you feedback on the services you provide. You may already look at what participants know before they enter a program and their level of knowledge when they complete a program. This kind of feedback and information is frequently used in measuring outcomes. You don't have to start measuring everything at once. You can begin with a pilot program that looks at one program, product or service. Start small and let everyone feel comfortable with the process. Make sure the pilot program is working before expanding to other activities. 2. There is only one "right" way to measure outcomes. There is no "right" way to measure outcomes. There is no "one size fits all" approach to measuring outcomes. There are models that can guide you. One of the most common is the model developed by United Way of America. There are other models and approaches that can be used in conjunction with the United Way model or used separately. The models just outline some essential steps you need to take to look at outcomes. What outcomes you develop, what indicators you use, what information you collect and how you collect the information is up to you. Nonprofit organizations have different goals for measuring their success. Common goals are to improve the quality of programs and services, learn and understand the results and impact of activities and guide program planning and implementation. In reality, most organizations have multiple goals. The outcome measurement process should fit your organization and help you meet your goals. 3. Funding sources will have unrealistic expectations about outcomes that will hurt our financial support. Most funding sources just want to have some basis for deciding whether investing in your organization will help them meet their philanthropic goals. They are interested in how and why you expect to have an impact on your clients/ and or the community. Outcome measurement is one way for you to help funding sources learn what works and the barriers to success. Overall, the experiences of many nonprofit agencies indicate that outcome measurement can have benefits. Defining your measures of success can help people inside and outside the organization understand what the organization does and why it does it. It can give you concrete, vivid, credible information to help you make more effective decisions and help you see your organization's value with different eyes. The road to outcome measurement can be bumpy, but the experiences of many nonprofit organizations show that looking at has a positive impact. Judith Rothbaum's passion is helping nonprofits thrive. She publishes a monthly e-newsletter with practical management, fundraising and communication solutions for bold nonprofits on the move. She presents seminars, workshops and coaching programs nationwide with one key message - - think boldly about who you are and the impact you have in your community. Visit datafordecisionmaking.com to learn more.
MORE RESOURCES: |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Getting Software Developed for Your Business At some point, your business is going to need to have some software development. Maybe your business is small, but existing software doesn't fit your needs. Employee Retention: Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business The retention of highly skilled knowledge workers is one of the major challenges today for all organizatons. Knowledge workers are those whose work primarily requires the use of "mental power rather than muscle power. Culture Management and Creativity Many concepts in the fields of managing creativity are very much applicable to culture management in general. The same concepts that foster creativity and innovation also maximise human capital potential, increase productivity, reduce costs and maintain competitive advantage etc. What are Your Best Practices? Best Practices StudiesThese studies can be defined as inquiries into the skills and methods of your high performers to recognize their achievements, document their methods and skills and then share this information with team members to improve overall performance. The responses generated from your study may hold the solutions to a variety of team challenges in the Call Center. Delegation for Business Leaders - How Letting Go Works A leader's role is to focus on those areas of operation where he or she can deliver the greatest value and this requires huge shifts in perspective of the role. Leaders differ from managers in terms of accountability. Protect Your Computer System with a Comprehensive Security Policy The most difficult part of creating a Security Policy for your business is determining what, exactly, to include in it. Never heard of a Security Policy before? You're not alone. Is Your Company in Need of Family Therapy? How Companies Are Like FamiliesLike a family, a company is a group of people who have an ongoing relationship with one another. Companies have several things in common with families:1. What to Ask When You're Invited to a Meeting 1) Where is the agenda? A meeting without an agenda is like a journey without a map; it will always waste your time. Once you have the agenda, make sure that it consists of more than a list of words because this is almost useless. Delegation: When to Delegate, Who to Delegate to There are some very simple guides for delegation.Most people delegate based on not wanting to do something. Its Not Always What You Say A major source of communication breakdowns is incongruence between the words that people say and the nonverbal signals that they send, largely because we lose sight of the fundamental truth: You cannot not communicate. Every second that we are in the presence of another, we are constantly sending and receiving messages, often silent, nonverbal messages that can either augment our communication effectiveness or detract from it. Hire Winners: Avoid These 10 Interview No-No's Have you ever hired someone who did not live up to expectations? I'm sure many of us have at one time. The purpose of the interview is to obtain good information about an applicant to make a wise selection decision. Sending Documents Through Email? Dont Get Burned by Metadata! During a recent seminar I gave located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I discussed something called, "metadata". When I asked whether anyone ever heard of metadata, I was confronted with blank stares. Five Tips for Analyzing an Income Statement In today's article, we'll be looking at the income statement, which is the most deceptively simple of the major financial statements. I say simple because it's just a list of all the revenue, minus all the expenses, to calculate what's left over in profit. The "Better Product" fallacy Another fallacy ingrained in the minds of most marketing managers is the belief that the better product will win the marketing battle.Behind the thinking of many marketing managers is the thought that "truth will out. Make It Easy to Reply - Voice Mail That Works If you are like most business people, voice mail has both simplified and complicated your life. On the good side, it helps you exchange information. Is Your Brain Getting the Memory Full Message? 5 Ways to Free Up Room on Your Brains Hard Drive Lynn was tapped to head up the project team for a major company restructuring. She began her first team meeting by delegating steps and due dates to the various department heads. Time Management Tip: Stop Micro-Managing Employees If I was a fly on the wall what would I hear your employees say? Would it something like this? "They won't allow me to make even the simplest decisions." "The red tape here makes it very difficult for me to do my job. Five Defining Characteristics of Great CEOs 1. Personal insight. Protect Your Organizations Proprietary Information The other day one of our overseas clients called in a state of near panic, to ask a question. At issue was whether they had unwittingly violated U. Problem Solving When problem solving, you may recognize that you were working on a symptom instead of the problem. An analysis of the more clearly defined problem may require an alteration to the objectives or the ideal solution.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |