Performance Measurement and Management
Performance Measurement and Management helps governments and nonprofit organizations track and improve their effectiveness and efficiency. Performance measurement is the process of regularly tracking progress on a series of program indicators. Performance management is the practice of using that data to inform decisions and make improvements. The Urban Institute has been a leader in performance measurement and management for four decades. Early on, we pioneered performance management techniques that government agencies still use to evaluate and improve public services, from garbage collection to human services to economic development. Our research also helps public agencies and private nonprofit organizations identify what questions to ask, what data to collect, and how to use that data to manage and improve their work.
Program on Immigrants and Immigration
Program on Immigrants and Immigration advances research and provides evidence on immigration and integration issues in communities across the U.S.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.
What Works in Reentry Clearinghouse
What Works in Reentry Clearinghouse is a “one-stop shop” for research on the effectiveness of a wide variety of reentry programs and practices. It features programs rated by the National Institute of Justice’s CrimeSolutions.gov, a website that presents programs that have undergone rigorous evaluations and meta-analyses. CrimeSolutions.gov assesses the strength of the evidence about whether these programs achieve criminal justice, juvenile justice, or crime victim services outcomes in order to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works, what doesn’t, and what’s promising.
Effective Data Storytelling
This is an AMAZING book, well researched, easy to read, about why you should combine data and narratives, and some strategies for doing just that. WARNING: The book is written for data scientists and the author, the wonderful Brent Dykes, spends the first half of the book helping them understand why they should use data inside a story and with personal narratives - rather than just presenting a bunch of numbers! As a nonprofit leader, you might want to start at Chapter 4 (all the chapters are described in the link). I incorporate a lot of Brent's work ImpactStory™ Group Coaching.