Surveys as Conversations
No one. Likes. Surveys. No one wants to feel like a generic data point. No one wants to be shouting into the dark. The ImpactStory Strategy designs surveys as mini conversations, and an opportunity to listen, learn, and respond. Read how!
VIDEO: Surveys as Conversations
VIDEO: No one. Likes. Surveys. No one wants to feel like a generic data point. No one wants to be shouting into the dark. The ImpactStory Strategy designs surveys as mini conversations, and an opportunity to listen, learn, and respond. Read how!
Compelling Longer-term Change Impact Stories
The vast majority of social sector partners simply CANNOT measure the longer-term impact for their clients. So how do you tell compelling impact stories about the longer-term change you expect your clients to achieve? This week's blog post walks you through the critical must-haves to tell this important impact story.
VIDEO: Compelling Longer-term Change Impact Stories
VIDEO: The vast majority of social sector partners simply CANNOT measure the longer-term impact for their clients. So how do you tell compelling impact stories about the longer-term change you expect your clients to achieve? This week's blog post walks you through the critical must-haves to tell this important impact story.
Systems Change is a Goal, NOT a Destination
I constantly see posts and blogs about the importance of the social sector making meaningful systems change. While systems change is a crucial goal, it's not something we're actually able to measure or be sure we can even ever accomplish. This is hard to explain - but I'm going to give it a first try here.
VIDEO: Systems Change is a Goal, NOT a Destination
VIDEO: I constantly see posts and blogs about the importance of the social sector making meaningful systems change. While systems change is a crucial goal, it's not something we're actually able to measure or be sure we can even ever accomplish. This is hard to explain - but I'm going to give it a first try here.
Trust-based Partnerships Make Way for Systems Change
It's through the collective efforts of Trust-based Philanthropy, the Equitable Evaluation Initiative, Capitalize Good, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, the Council on Foundations, the Council of Nonprofits, Fund for Shared Insight, Listen4Good, and their sister organizations, that we are moving closer to shifting power across the sector and toward the systems change we all envision.
VIDEO: Trust-based Partnerships Make Way for Systems Change
VIDEO: It's through the collective efforts of Trust-based Philanthropy, the Equitable Evaluation Initiative, Capitalize Good, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, the Council on Foundations, the Council of Nonprofits, Fund for Shared Insight, Listen4Good, and their sister organizations, that we are moving closer to shifting power across the sector and toward the systems change we all envision.
Scientific Rigor in the Social Sector
Basic and applied research require scientific rigor, Nonprofits and their funders are practitioner. Practitioner rigor is also important, but it looks very different than scientific rigor. You do not - and cannot - be scientifically rigorous with your data. But, you do need to thoughtfully and intentionally engage in rigorous practices. Let's call these high quality practices.
VIDEO: Scientific Rigor in the Social Sector
VIDEO: Basic and applied research require scientific rigor, Nonprofits and their funders are practitioner. Practitioner rigor is also important, but it looks very different than scientific rigor. You do not - and cannot - be scientifically rigorous with your data. But, you do need to thoughtfully and intentionally engage in rigorous practices. Let's call these high quality practices.
Part 3: Project GROWS Links Individual Success with a Vision for Systems Change
Project GROWS uses their Strategic Impact Map™ to plan out how they track mission fulfillment. This is a second blog about the first step of the ImpactStory™ Strategy – and how creating a Solid Framework provides the basis for telling powerful impact stories.
VIDEO: Part 3 – Linking Individual Success to Systems Change Project GROWS
VIDEO: Project GROWS uses their Strategic Impact Map™ to plan out how they track mission fulfillment. This is a second blog about the first step of the ImpactStory™ Strategy – and how creating a Solid Framework provides the basis for telling powerful impact stories.
Part 2: Project GROWS’ Tracks Mission Fulfillment
Project GROWS uses their Strategic Impact Map™ to plan out how they track mission fulfillment. This is a second blog about the first step of the ImpactStory™ Strategy – and how creating a Solid Framework provides the basis for telling powerful impact stories.
VIDEO: Part 2: Project GROWS’ Tracks Mission Fulfillment
VIDEO: Project GROWS uses their Strategic Impact Map™ to plan out how they track mission fulfillment. This is a second blog about the first step of the ImpactStory™ Strategy – and how creating a Solid Framework provides the basis for telling powerful impact stories.
Part 1: How Project GROWS Sets Up Their Impact Story
A Strategic Impact Map™ is an improvement on traditional logic models. While traditional logic models are focused on “inputs” (i.e., the resources nonprofits are seeking from funders), a Strategic Impact Map™ starts with what’s most important to the social sector, which is Mission. Learn about Strategic Impact Maps™ by learning about how Project Grows created theirs.
VIDEO: Part 1: How Project GROWS Sets Up Their Impact Story
VIDEO: A Strategic Impact Map™ is an improvement on traditional logic models. While traditional logic models are focused on “inputs” (i.e., the resources nonprofits are seeking from funders), a Strategic Impact Map™ starts with what’s most important to the social sector, which is Mission. Learn about Strategic Impact Maps™ by learning about how Project Grows created theirs.
A Transformation of Program Evaluation
I have transformed traditional program evaluation into a first-of-its-kind framework and toolbox you can use day-to-day to track mission fulfillment and iteratively improve programs, separately or collaboratively together. Read about the ImpactStory™ Strategy and my upcoming book!
VIDEO: A Transformation of Program Evaluation
VIDEO: I have transformed traditional program evaluation into a first-of-its-kind framework and toolbox you can use day-to-day to track mission fulfillment and iteratively improve programs, separately or collaboratively together. Read about the ImpactStory™ Strategy and my upcoming book!
Are Anonymous Surveys Necessary?
Learn about different ways a survey can be anonymous, including the pros and cons of each.
VIDEO: Are Anonymous Surveys Necessary?
VIDEO: Learn about different ways a survey can be anonymous, including the pros and cons of each.
How to Turn Narrative Survey Responses into Data You Can Use
I almost always recommend including open-ended questions at the end of surveys. This allows you to get some free-form, narrative responses from your clients. These narrative responses can be rich and detailed, and can give you valuable, unexpected information. But, what do you DO with them?!?
VIDEO: How to Turn Narrative Survey Responses into Data You Can Use
VIDEO: I almost always recommend including open-ended questions at the end of surveys. This allows you to get some free-form, narrative responses from your clients. These narrative responses can be rich and detailed, and can give you valuable, unexpected information. But, what do you DO with them?!?
Why Benchmarking Doesn’t Work in the Social Sector
Benchmarking in the social sector is tricky because – while more productivity (i.e., serving more people) and more impact (i.e., more goodness in the world) seem like they would always be desirable – that’s not always the case! More is not necessarily better, and efficiency is often not the goal.
VIDEO: Why Benchmarking Doesn’t Work in the Social Sector
VIDEO: Benchmarking in the social sector is tricky because – while more productivity (i.e., serving more people) and more impact (i.e., more goodness in the world) seem like they would always be desirable – that’s not always the case! More is not necessarily better, and efficiency is often not the goal.
3 Tips for Getting AUTHENTIC Survey Responses
Nonprofit clients are often grateful, and they probably don't want to insult you. How do you not just get a lot of "strongly agree" answers that don't help you improve programming? Read more about three tips to help ensure they tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly!
VIDEO: 3 Tips for Getting AUTHENTIC Survey Responses
VIDEO: Nonprofit clients are often grateful, and they probably don't want to insult you. How do you not just get a lot of "strongly agree" answers that don't help you improve programming? Read more about three tips to help ensure they tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly!
The Trick to Defining Success in the Social Sector
In 20+ years of working with social sector partners, I’ve never met a single person who does not really, really want there to be a single number – like “profit” – that nonprofits can use as a simple, clear indicator of success.
VIDEO: The Trick to Defining Success in the Social Sector
VIDEO: In 20+ years of working with social sector partners, I’ve never met a single person who does not really, really want there to be a single number – like “profit” – that nonprofits can use as a simple, clear indicator of success.
The Power of a Strong Framework
The work of nonprofits is complex. You surely have a deep, internal sense that your work is powerful and impacts the people you work with. Expressing this power and impact with coherence can be challenging.
VIDEO: The Power of a Strong Framework
VIDEO: The work of nonprofits is complex. You surely have a deep, internal sense that your work is powerful and impacts the people you work with. Expressing this power and impact with coherence can be challenging.
How Do We Know We are Doing Good?
I think of this community as being one of philanthropists - in the true meaning of the word: "loving people." This is a community actively loving people every day.
Graphs that Help You Ask Important Questions
This weekend, I was thinking about how data can be used for good, and how data can be used for evil. So today, I thought I'd talk about how you can use graphs to understand your data in ways that build trust and understanding (good) or they can obscure the truth and promote stereotypes (evil).
VIDEO: Graphs that Help You Ask Important Questions
VIDEO: This weekend, I was thinking about how data can be used for good, and how data can be used for evil. So today, I thought I'd talk about how you can use graphs to understand your data in ways that build trust and understanding (good) or they can obscure the truth and promote stereotypes (evil).
A Strategy for Co-Building Knowledge
What if... we established uncomplicated, sector-specific structures, defined metrics, and capacity for tracking, analyzing, and using impact data?
VIDEO: A Strategy for Co-Building Knowledge
VIDEO: What if... we established uncomplicated, sector-specific structures, defined metrics, and capacity for tracking, analyzing, and using impact data?
Insights Lead to Action
I was meeting with a funder last week, and they were asking me to confirm they were making good data-driven insights. They were not feeling clear about exactly what an insight is. These are super smart and insightful people, so they can't be the only one wondering this. For all you co-wonderers - this blog's for you!
VIDEO: Insights Lead to Action
VIDEO: I was meeting with a funder last week, and they were asking me to confirm they were making good data-driven insights. They were not feeling clear about exactly what an insight is. These are super smart and insightful people, so they can't be the only one wondering this. For all you co-wonderers - this blog's for you!
18 Ways to Say “Impact”
A topic that came up recently in the ImpactStory Academy is all the different words for IMPACT. I started a quick list and came up with 18 different words - I know, right!
The Secret to Unbiased Understanding of Your Data
I've worked with hundreds of social sector leaders and everyone is worried about understanding their data in the most objective way possible.
2 Foolproof Ways to Increase Survey Response Rates (and it’s not magic!)
2 Foolproof Ways to Increase Survey Response Rates It's not >>
Nonprofits CANNOT Measure Long-term Impact
I'm being provocative - and - once someone leaves services you can no longer control what happens. The world is a complex and chaotic place. Your clients use what you gave them immediately, later, or (sadly) never. You have literally no control.
3 Data Culture Must-Have’s
I worked with an organization which wanted to be dedicated to collecting and using data. But, data was only seen as a fundraising tool, so they didn't create a positive data culture.
3 Keys to Successful Surveys
There are approximately a zillion more simple things you can do to boost response rates, improve the quality of your data, and ensure you are collecting data you can turn into action. Here are the three most important!
3 Steps to Power
I know - because I've been there with you - that measuring the goodness nonprofits put out into the world can feel cumbersome.
2 Critical Nonprofit KPIs
Corporations are focused on KPIs and profit because better KPIs result in higher profit. What does this mean for the nonprofits they invest in? How do nonprofits - who produce goodness not profit - speak to their corporate funders?
Why Nonprofits Should NOT do Program Evaluation
The scientific method just doesn't fit the budget, the mission, or the needs of nonprofits in the complex, day-to-day work of providing critical services. What the nonprofits I worked with needed was actionable data
All You Need to Know About Statistics in <300 Words
I definitely believe we should all have the basic ability to be wise consumers of data, because there's a lot of bad and misleading data out there. But, I think it goes a step too far to say nonprofit leaders should be able to engage in "statistical thinking."
What do I do with all this data?
Since making a difference is at the heart of all the efforts of foundations and their grantees, it's natural to want to know if the work is actually benefiting people. But how do you measure THAT?
3 Myths about Data Stories
Lots of people are uncomfortable about putting their understanding of the data out there. "What if I'm wrong? What if I don't have enough information?"
Nonprofits & Strategic Data Collection
I had this wonderful opportunity to speak with Jay Smack on The Good Eye Podcast about the straightforward strategy I've developed that ensures nonprofits have data that helps them do work, and which communicates return on investment for funders - all this while being no more difficult to manage than a budget.
The Trick to Getting Buy-in from Funders
Impact Statements allow nonprofits to show why we can all reasonably assume clients working with you are on a path to longer-term change. [Funder: "Wonderful! It sounds like you have a solid and likely successful plan. I'm in!"]
How to Adjust Evidence-based Practices
Use expertise to adjust the program to meet the needs of your specific clients, your budget, the context.
2 Reports You Should Read
When I was making a presentation last week, one of the nonprofit leaders in the group said "I'm realizing I'm not the only one not getting it right. It’s clearly a problem that smaller nonprofits have with measuring and talking about impact. Just hearing this is validating.”
Client Success: Madison House Takes Back Their Story
This was Rose’s question for me: “How do I balance what's good for the clients, what funders are impressed by, what potential clients' (students and nonprofits) are impressed by, and what grants ask for when all this stuff doesn't line up?
Collecting Data You Can Actually Use
Nonprofits often ask: So how do I collect data that helps me (a) show that people are getting better, and (b) know what adjustments need to be made to improve what I do?
4 Challenges for Nonprofit Storytelling and How to Overcome Them
The most effective corporate storytelling combines data, narrative, and visuals that draw people in by appealing to their intellectual curiosity and making them relate and care. But how do nonprofits do this?
How They Transformed Advocacy Services at JABA
“We used to just do ‘bean counting,’ how much of this and that we did. Now with the Strategic Impact Maps, we are able to actually track the impact of the work we do. It’s so much more informative and powerful!”
The Strategy You Need
A Strategic Impact Map™ is a framework for telling your most powerful impact story. It’s a one-page document that tells an efficient story of, not only why and how your organization does good, but also how you are measuring it!
Nonprofit Business Plan for Impact
No matter how innovative or well-documented the programming is, no matter how amazing the staff, no matter how well-intentioned and value-driven the work is, in the end, it’s gotta generate real good.
How to Captivate Funders with Programming that Works
There’s a formula for telling a masterful impact story, one that captures the attention of funders and moves people to action. It all starts with being able to talk about programming that works. Here’s how to do it…
ImpactStory™ Resource Library
Small- and medium-sized nonprofits don’t need to read everything there is about program evaluation. We’ve got you! We picked out (and annotated!) resources just for you!
VIDEO – Introduction to the ImpactStory™ Strategy
Watch this 30-minute free training on our ImpactStory strategy and how it can help your organization not only tell convincing impact stories, but how it can support staff performance and even strategic planning.
Program Evaluation is NOT Your Job!
We are here to tell you that program evaluation IS impossible for small- to medium-sized nonprofits. It’s not your mission and it’s not your job.
Why the heck do nonprofits even need to measure impact?!?
Why do nonprofits have to measure and report impact when corporations don’t?