Kathleen,
this is right on point. As a human services non-profit we encounter, and struggle with, these issues daily. It is critically important to allow the mission to dictate the measures. One of the greatest challenges is helping staff to understand the WHY and HOW of the work they do everyday connects to the measures so that they are more confident and attuned to capturing data accurately. Giving staff an opportunity to provide feedback as to what is and isn’t working for them with the measures is also an important aspect.
Mary, Thank you so much for your comment! Couldn’t agree more that getting staff involved is key to the process - they are often most connected to the communities nonprofits serve and in the best position to understand what metrics are effective indicators of progress and which ones aren’t. That’s why orgs must include staff participation in the theory of change/mission defining process, not just to get their input, but also to get their buy in!
This is a very insightful article, and the last point about funders supporting a data driven culture especially resonated with me. As a nonprofit tech consultant, I often come across organizations that hesitate to make requisite monetary investment in building data culture and capacity because they fear that their funders and granters fund them towards the mission. It is important to make the funders and granters understand, that the investment in creating data driven culture, related training and capacity building is actually a step towards scaling impact and fulfilling the mission.
This is a very insightful article, and the last point about funders supporting a data driven culture especially resonated with me. As a nonprofit tech consultant, I often come across organizations that hesitate to make requisite monetary investment in building data culture and capacity because they fear that their funders and granters fund them only towards focusing on the mission, *and not towards the underlying infrastructure capacity building and training*. It is important to make the funders and granters understand, that the investment in creating data driven culture, related training and capacity building is actually a step towards scaling impact and fulfilling the mission.
Nonprofit should develop a data culture that is rooted in the Lean Data approach. We wrote a perspective, “Finding a Needle in the Haystack: Bringing Impact Insights to Lean Data”. Hope readers will find this useful too!
Thanks for these tips on how to create a data culture. I like your tip to get creative about metrics. I think coming up with a way to visualize all those would make things easier for everyone and would keep people’s attention.
COMMENTS
BY Pat Nichols
ON March 7, 2018 05:46 AM
Terrifically useful, Kathleen. Succinct, clear, great illustrations. Thanks.
BY Kathleen Janus
ON March 7, 2018 03:04 PM
Thanks, Pat! I’m glad the article was useful.
BY Mary McGeady
ON March 9, 2018 06:01 AM
Kathleen,
this is right on point. As a human services non-profit we encounter, and struggle with, these issues daily. It is critically important to allow the mission to dictate the measures. One of the greatest challenges is helping staff to understand the WHY and HOW of the work they do everyday connects to the measures so that they are more confident and attuned to capturing data accurately. Giving staff an opportunity to provide feedback as to what is and isn’t working for them with the measures is also an important aspect.
BY Kathleen Janus
ON March 9, 2018 08:26 AM
Mary, Thank you so much for your comment! Couldn’t agree more that getting staff involved is key to the process - they are often most connected to the communities nonprofits serve and in the best position to understand what metrics are effective indicators of progress and which ones aren’t. That’s why orgs must include staff participation in the theory of change/mission defining process, not just to get their input, but also to get their buy in!
BY Medha Nanal
ON March 25, 2018 06:10 PM
Hi Kathleen,
This is a very insightful article, and the last point about funders supporting a data driven culture especially resonated with me. As a nonprofit tech consultant, I often come across organizations that hesitate to make requisite monetary investment in building data culture and capacity because they fear that their funders and granters fund them towards the mission. It is important to make the funders and granters understand, that the investment in creating data driven culture, related training and capacity building is actually a step towards scaling impact and fulfilling the mission.
BY Medha Nanal
ON March 25, 2018 08:21 PM
<Reposting the previous post with correction>
Hi Kathleen,
This is a very insightful article, and the last point about funders supporting a data driven culture especially resonated with me. As a nonprofit tech consultant, I often come across organizations that hesitate to make requisite monetary investment in building data culture and capacity because they fear that their funders and granters fund them only towards focusing on the mission, *and not towards the underlying infrastructure capacity building and training*. It is important to make the funders and granters understand, that the investment in creating data driven culture, related training and capacity building is actually a step towards scaling impact and fulfilling the mission.
BY UNMESH SHETH
ON July 26, 2018 03:56 PM
Nonprofit should develop a data culture that is rooted in the Lean Data approach. We wrote a perspective, “Finding a Needle in the Haystack: Bringing Impact Insights to Lean Data”. Hope readers will find this useful too!
https://www.sopact.com/perspectives/finding-the-needle-in-the-haystack-impact-insights-a-lean-data-approach
BY Michaela Hemsley
ON September 22, 2021 03:54 PM
Thanks for these tips on how to create a data culture. I like your tip to get creative about metrics. I think coming up with a way to visualize all those would make things easier for everyone and would keep people’s attention.