The previous post, 3 Reasons Your Organization Needs A Logic Model, shared some valuable tips! I know you are looking to enhance your programming strategies to communicate your impact. Well…you are in the right place! In this blog post, I shared some insight into measuring your success using a programming plan.
Sharing this post will help you to align with an industry perspective of how program evaluations should operate within a nonprofit organization.
Effectiveness of Program Evaluation
As an AmeriCorps member, I learned how effective program evaluations were. When implemented correctly, evaluations are great tools to help paint a powerful picture. It shows insight into your overall progress with a program and how effective the program is within the target audience.
Whenever I completed the program evaluations for measuring success, I was able to:
- Gather information on how my target audience was doing
- Identify what gaps need to be filled to serve the audience better
- Develop additional strategies to help encourage continual growth for those in my program who positively progress independently
You need to understand that evaluations can positively enhance the services. Also, it can potentially increase the percentage of funds contributed to your organization by donors interested in supporting.
Making Improvements to Your Programming
The program I was managing made some improvements in relationships with those involved. As a team, we documented and gathered details on factors that affected the internal or external factors.
Because of this, we experienced a HUGE growth pattern surrounding our program intake and interest. The positive results reported demonstrated how effective our program was in the community.
Yes…I know this sounds like a lot.
But it is the work that you complete in the beginning that will always reward you later on.
Taking Time For Measuring Success
Many small organizations don’t know or understand the value of program evaluation. However, I will tell you this…don’t overlook this step in managing your nonprofit.
You should implement these strategies throughout the year and not at the last minute. As an organization, you can gather important information using surveys, interviews, or questionnaires. It’s not as hard as you may think with the proper platform. There are various websites that you can use to create evaluations that you need to get data.
Focusing on data collection can be time-consuming. It will require a little bit of math, but other than that it can be a breeze.
Even though this process may be grueling and overwhelming, it has its rewards. By gathering data, you can use it to communicate how you are measuring success with potential donors, volunteers, and partners.
On the Nonprofit Sistas Podcast, Jania Massey shared insight on understanding your target audience. This episode will help you prepare to collect and evaluate data to enhance your organization.
I’m sure you are ready to get to the meat of this blog post. So…let’s dig into measuring your success using a programming plan.
Here are 4 reasons why you should focus on programming and planning to measure success:
1. To gain insight into a program & its operations
Evaluations will help your organization see where your nonprofit is headed and where it is coming from. You will determine what works and what doesn’t by tracking your growth pattern. This is an essential step in maintaining a positive trajectory in your organization’s development journey.
2. To improve practice
You may not realize this, but organizations incorporate certain practices in their operational methods. These patterns can hurt organizations that lack proper intervention strategies. By evaluating your programs, you can help your organization modify or adapt practices to enhance the success of certain programs.
3. To assess effects
Nonprofit organizations can experience financial mishaps when an effective plan is created for measuring success. Embracing a routine of evaluating will help you to achieve your objectives, and goals, and determine how effective your programs are.
4. To build capacity
I always say that well-constructed programs will help to increase funding, enhance professional skills, and strengthen accountability. You are going to hear me say this quite a bit, but…donors want to know how their donations are being used. No donor wants to see their donation NOT being used effectively or used frivolously.
Trust me…I get it, creating and preparing a proper programming plan with an evaluation strategy can be challenging for someone unfamiliar with the nonprofit sector. But this is why I am here!
What’s something you are going to do in the next 30 days to collect data for your organization?