I remember the day the passion for serving youth at a greater capacity was ignited in me. The second I took the first step, there was no turning back. I definitely understood the assignment, and nothing or no one would get in the way. But we all know even when we are driving to our destination, we need signals such as directions, lights, and yield signs to ensure we are on course. This is the same way I look at data. As we are on our mission to change lives, data can provide us the indicators we need to ensure we are going in the right direction and also show others that we are heading in the right direction so they can hop in the car 🙂 Enough analogies, you get the gist. Let’s jump in…
Why does data matter in your nonprofit?
- It can lead to more funding – We understand the importance of having funding to sustain a nonprofit. As a previous funder, I have seen organizations capture data in programs and leverage it to increase the amount of money for their organization.
- It can help prove your impact and tell your story – data can help show your long-term. This means not only taking care of immediate community needs but also demonstrating needs over time.
- It can help identify the needs in your community – through assessing the data, you can identify the needs, whether in the community or even within your organization.
- It can help identify challenges within your organization
- It can aid you in developing a successful program from start to finish
Take a moment to think about how your organization is tracking the impact that it is making in the community by completing these steps:
- Identify Opportunities for Data Collection – Take a look at your current methods for collecting data and where there are opportunities to capture additional information.
- Determine how the information you identified as opportunity areas can help your organization
- Develop an Implementation Plan that includes a Target Date for Implementation and who will be responsible for implementing it.
Let the Nonprofit Enthusiast team help you implement measures to track your organization’s impact by scheduling your Free Consultation today: bit.ly/3ji4eSP
