Measurement: It Makes a Difference

"You can't measure art, but you can measure everything around it." The executive director of a prominent ballet company said that when I was having dinner with him recently. He has a track record of a balanced budget for the past 18 years, plus he raised a $35 million endowment for a major west coast arts organization. In short, he knows what he is doing.

I'm betting that his remarkably successful track record, when numerous arts organizations are seen as optional in these difficult times, is because he pays attention to numbers. Because he communicates to major donors in the business categories to which they are accustomed.

Don't balk at measuring that which can be measured. Do it and do it well. Don't cut corners; if you can't measure something accurately, don't fake it. I've seen plenty nonprofits look dumb when the first clarifying question about their numbers can't be answered well. "Yes, that's a good question . . . um . . . . let me get back to you about that." Such a response may be necessary about your new pilot program, but not about the hard data you are providing about existing programs. Know your business.

You may not measure due to fear: like all our fears, face it, be courageous, and overcome it. Or because of disruption to the organization: good point, so plan it carefully and get everyone on board to minimize the distraction. Or because you are not sure what you'll do with the data: use it to refine your programs, give it to your board, and let the fundraisers exploit it with donors. They will love it.

There are some things you can't measure; but you can differentiate yourself by tackling the ones you can.

Grant Provides FREE RO2 to Programs Serving Women                    

RTS is pleased to announce that it has a grant to make RO2 available for free to organizations serving women and children. The programs need to be related to maternal health, family formation and preservation, parenting education. If you offer a program that falls in any of these categories, write to us and you may be eligible for a free RO2 license.

 If you are interested, contact us at:

info@resultstechnologies.net

Wednesday May 4 at 2:00pm Eastern - We are offering a repeat performance of our well attended webinar from last year. The topics will cover: What grant makers are looking for by way of evaluation in their RFP's. How to create an evaluation plan that would satisfy the most critical of reviewers, how to create data collection instruments that map to the outcomes you've created in your evaluation plan, and much more.  

Save the date and watch for the announcement next week.

Want a Demo of RO2?

Demos are not simply for people new to RO2. We offer demos to people who want to know how to do something in the system that they don't know how to do or find a better way or more efficient way to capture information. If you fall into these groups - give a call or drop us a note and we'll walk you through it.