With the right implementation, nonprofits have a straightforward tool for measuring success at their fingertips.

By Joel Zimmerman

Another problem that organizations frequently make is jumping into measurement programs too fast and making the programs too complicated. Deriving meaningful measurements, gathering reliable data, developing useful analytical techniques and educating managers about how to use the data all are difficult steps. Doing all this at one time with a bucket full of 50 different measures is doomed to failure.