Category: Metrics
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The Transformative Power of Data and Storytelling for the Nonprofit Sector
Do you remember the last time that you were enraptured by a number? Neither do I. How about the last time a fact moved you to tears? Likely, also no. We are seldom moved by the black and white. The beauty and impact in the nonprofit sector comes from the shades of grey that fill…
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Maximizing Insights: Harnessing the Power of Data Collection Systems for Informed Decision-Making
Some of us, like me, love data. We are the quiet ones in the corner, with our tea on a coaster, running numbers all day, and emerge periodically to share our exciting findings, only to crawl back into our dark corners because no one seems to get as excited about data as we do. Data…
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The Operational Evaluation: Expanding Our Definitions of Non-Profit Project Evaluations
Non-Profit project evaluations always seemed to me to be a little like a science fair project. You identify your theory of change or hypothesis, and some variables that you are hoping to impact. You reference some past research. You then identify some biases, discuss your methodology, collect your data, write a report and draw some…
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The Key Metrics To Should Use for Evaluating Social Enterprises
So you have to evaluate a social enterprise? In many ways these are the same as other projects, but they do have some unqiue considerations that you ought to consider. I remember the first time that I was working with a social enterprise as an evaluator and I wanted to measure the revenue generated–the executive…
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Winning Your Next Grant Application With Numbers…
So there is a new grant coming out and you think your non-profit has a great chance at winning. I want to let you in on a little secret. For years, my team and I wrote grants for non-profits. We got them so much money. Considering it was not the primary focus of our business…
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Why Non-Profits Need an Organizational North Star
In my past life as a Consultant, I remember often working with organizations to develop and implement strategic plans, to identify metrics and to develop tracking tools. Often times, I would get resistance from some organizations stating” we don’t have time for all of this”, or ” there are too many metrics to track across…
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The North Star: How to Create Measurable Passion in Our Organizations
More than a decade ago, I remember being in a strategic planning session, and we were tasked with crafting mission and vision statements for the organization. In the midst of this session, a challenge emerged in the form of a board member who staunchly advocated for longer mission and vision statements. He believed that extended…