Impact measurement 101: defining and collecting data

Impact measurement is the process of analyzing your programming and services, determining what metrics and outputs best illustrate your organization’s outcomes, and monitoring those key elements of your work to demonstrate your organization’s impact. In this series, we’ll break down the elements of impact measurement to help you understand the importance of tracking your outputs and outcomes. This information can ultimately help you improve programming, identify and meet other needs within your community, and secure more funding. We’ll cover three key elements of impact measurement in this series: 

1. How to define which data points to track, and how to collect them 
2. How to measure key outputs and data points 
3. How impact measurement will help you provide what funders want 

In this blog, we’ll outline several best practices to help you define and collect the right data points, setting you up for impact measurement success.  

The challenges of defining and collecting data points

Deciding where to start: When it comes to defining which outputs and data points your organization should be tracking, it can be hard to determine where to start. While it’s easy to say all data points are important, the key is deciding which data points will help you tell a compelling impact story.  

Managing multiple programs: Your organization is likely managing multiple different programs with varying data points that tell an important piece of your story – how do you know which ones you should track? 

Utilizing manual processes: Many organizations are working with outdated systems or even using manual processes such as spreadsheets to track participant and program information. This can hold you back from gathering accurate information, lead to missed data points due to limited staff bandwidth or turnover, and cause data silos.

Best practices for defining and collecting key outputs

Define your outcomes and key indicators: Before you define important outputs and data points, you must first reflect on your organization’s mission and the outcomes you are trying to achieve. What key indicators mark success for your organization? Having this understanding will serve as a baseline to help you better determine which data points you need to illustrate impact to key stakeholders.  

For example, if your organization supports individuals experiencing homelessness in finding housing, key indicators of success may include number of housing applications, an increase in the number of individuals transitioning from homelessness to housing, and long-term housing retention. 

Determine relevant quantitative and qualitative measures: Once you’ve identified your key indicators, take the time to determine which outputs best demonstrate your progress. When determining which data points to track, it’s important to focus on both quantitative and qualitative measures.  

Quantitative data is important for measuring impact over time through concrete numbers. In order to collect and track solid quantitative data, your organization needs a solution like Bonterra Impact Management to help you track participant and program data over time. This could include information such as participant demographics, program enrollment rates, the key indicators we mentioned previously, and more. Depending on your focus area, you can collect data related to specific goals. For example, if your organization focuses on family and community development, you can track information such as employment rates and income over time to help gauge the success of your programming.  

Qualitative data may be derived through anecdotal feedback you receive from program participants in meetings with caseworkers or surveys. This feedback is especially helpful in understanding the participant experience, perceived benefits of your programming, and where there may be gaps. 

Standardize how and when you collect information: Once you have decided what types of information to collect, take the time to determine how you will collect it and when. For example, you’ll collect general participant demographic information during intake, but you may want to implement a regular survey to gather feedback on the program, or even send personalized surveys depending on participants’ unique needs. Additionally, you might have caseworkers who regularly update participant progress during meetings, which will provide valuable qualitative and quantitative data over time. Ensure your data collection methods are consistent so you can compare and measure progress regularly to inform data-driven decision-making.  

How the right solution can help

While these best practices can make defining and collecting key outputs easier, having a solution like Bonterra Impact Management makes it even easier. Before implementing our solution, Urban Strategies Inc. (USI) was entering participant information manually, leading to data silos, and they didn’t have a simple way to track and report their work within their community. Additionally, their intake process was standardized, preventing them from asking specific questions based on circumstances. With Bonterra Impact Management, USI can track, report, and share data using a single system, plus they can personalize forms and reports to gather and provide the information they need when they need it. Download the case study to learn more about USI’s experience with Bonterra.  

Next steps

As you consider your organization’s data collection process, we encourage you to implement some of these best practices. Taking the time to consider your goals, analyze the types of data you can collect, and implement a process for collecting data will strengthen your organization’s impact measurement framework.  

Now that we’ve discussed the basics of defining and collecting data, in our next blog we’ll dive into how to measure outcomes.