Metrics

Do you have a report monster? It's OK, you can admit it. What is each of your metrics helping you do? How is it informing you? If you don't have a good answer then kill the metric. There's not enough time in the day.

As with every evolutionary process, it's time to go to the next stage — moving from focusing on all the data to focusing on the right data. That's where the confusion comes in — what exactly is the right data to measure?

Nonprofits can learn a lot from the way the Obama campaign approached performance measurement. For although the campaign’s resources dwarfed those of the typical nonprofit, the measurement practices it followed mirror those of high-performing organizations. By following these measurement practices, the Obama campaign focused its resources on the most effective interventions, made smart resource allocation decisions, and adjusted rapidly as the context changed.

Loyalty runs deep, and metrics such as the Net Promoter Score can be too simplistic. Measuring donor loyalty takes a more in-depth look.