Getting organizational buy-in is crucial to the success of any outcomes measurement project.
Without the leadership team sponsoring an outcomes-driven culture, any measurement initiative is unlikely to have longevity.
Likewise, having your Board or leadership team mandate outcomes measurement might get things moving at the start. But not enlisting the support of frontline staff and program managers can lead to drawn out and incomplete measurement projects, due to a lack of ownership in the process.
Read our article on how to introduce outcomes measurement to your staff.
If your Board and leadership team is new to outcomes measurement, here are some simple talking points that you can include in your pitch:
- Present examples of the types of outcomes your organisation should be tracking based on the programs it delivers. Better yet, share an example outcomes report to demonstrate the types of insights this provides.
- Describe the impact that outcomes measurement will have on your beneficiaries. For example, will measuring outcomes help to build trust and with your beneficiaries? Or will it help you to improve your programs and services? In a recent survey, we found that more than half of nonprofit organisations measured their outcomes in order to improve outcomes for their beneficiaries; as well as to improve their services and programs (Based on a sample of 56 nonprofit organisations).
- Describe how outcomes measurement will provide visibility of what is working and what isn’t, thus enabling more effective allocation of resources
- Touch on how outcomes measurement will help to make your organisation more sustainable, by means of securing and retaining funding. Did you know that more than 80% of donors say they would prefer to donate to a nonprofit that demonstrates evidence of its impact? (Based on a poll we conducted from a sample of 150).
- Emphasise that contrary to common misperceptions, outcomes measurement does not need to be expensive; nor does it need to require a specialised expertise. While there may be some initial setup and staff onboarding time, having the right tooling and systems in place can help automate the process going forward without adding workload on staff.
Read how one nonprofit saved 540 hours in staff reporting time using Socialsuite.
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