Nonprofit Articles

By keeping certain measurement practices in mind as you plan and implement, your nonprofit will be positioned to do better and more credible research.

There is a famous quote by Albert Einstein that states, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.” This concept is as true of organizations as it is of people. If an organization does not embrace learning or adaptation, it will slowly wither. Learning is a commitment to a process – a process of discovery and then feeding that knowledge back into the organization itself. It’s intentional and founded on distinct ideas.

There is a considerable amount of grant money available from foundations and government sources designed to fund a vast array of programs and projects; however, for many, applying for a grant is a stressful process. Organizations that are interested in receiving grant funding should remember several factors when writing proposals, including how to prepare a logic model and conduct evaluations.

Sphygmomanometers, or blood pressure cuffs, save lives. These quick, routine, and painless tests offer us the chance to identify symptoms serious conditions that could threaten our quality of life. In the same way, if routine check-ups of our organization are not in place, we risk proverbial “organ failure” which may result in a terminal condition.

We all know that nonprofits have limited resources in time, staff, and finances to accomplish the mission before them – and even less to conduct research. But what if your nonprofit already had the ability to research? What if with some extra training and oversight, you could get your pulse on those that matter most to the success of your mission? The Rapid Assessment Process (RAP) offers you quick insight on specific interest topics.

Just as in planning a family road trip, you take into consideration certain variables and plan around them and for contingencies, you do the same for ensuring a successful program. Without contemplating all that you believe about how your project will work (assumptions), as well as what could potentially influence your project outside of your control (external factors), you are setting your program or project up for failure. To mitigate against potential problems, it is critical to think through each of these elements as you are planning and developing your program logic model.