I love surveys. I love designing them and completing them. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve filled out satisfaction and feedback surveys every time I’ve been asked. My love of surveys has won/earned me free meals and theater tickets, and discounts or refunds on all kinds of products and services. I love surveys! I’ve[…]
In my last post, I argued that you can’t measure what you haven’t defined. Too many nonprofits try to measure broad or vague outcome statements, which results in confusing surveys and largely useless data. Identifying clear, specific indicators makes measurement easier and more meaningful. Indicators are the critical middle step between outcomes and measurement tools.[…]
That might not sound like an earth-shattering proclamation, and I don’t know if I’m the first or only one to say it. But I’m going to make that my primary call to action for nonprofits! Nonprofits know we are (supposed to be) making a difference in people’s lives, and we know we are supposed to[…]
In my last post, I argued that one of the main reasons that front-line staff (case managers, therapists, youth workers, nurses, mentors, volunteers) in nonprofits might not get invested in collecting and using data is because it’s the wrong data. Too often, nonprofits settle for counting what’s easy to count rather than measuring what matters[…]