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Evaluation
Deciding What Matters in
Measuring Impact
In today's competitive environment, many people feel
pressure to demonstrate success. However, "success" can
vary by how is it defined
and how is it measured. In order to show results, you
must first outline objectives and benchmark
measurements.
Quality vs Quantity
If your goal is gaining more public attention to further
your cause, your communications plan should include
standards by which you can measure your impact.
Contrary to the popular belief, not all press is good
press. Quality counts as much as quantity. Are
your programs and efforts being characterized accurately
by the media? Evaluating media efforts is
discussed in greater detail in
Counting Content Not Clips.
Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan
Other key questions to ask and answer as you plan and
evolve
your overall communications strategy refer to the
relationship between mission, strategy, and tactics.
Are you reaching your target audience and increasing
your effectiveness? How do you measure the connection
between your communications outputs (e.g. website, media
materials, etc.) and your
organization’s objectives?
Set Measurable Goals
It is important to set realistic and tangible goals
for your organization. If fundraising is a goal, set a
target dollar amount and a deadline by which you want to
reach it. If you don't reach it, take it as a learning
experience and extend your target date. If you raise it
faster than expected, raise your dollar amount. Be
flexible, but stick to your standards.
Simple Measures of Success
Evaluation techniques do not have to be complicated or
time-consuming. If you have a website, your server or
"host" most likely has a method of tracking the number
of visits to your site per month and whether those
visits are generated from search engines or by directly
typing in your url. Similarly, you can select an email
vendor that tracks how often e-newsletters are open and
links are followed, to give you an idea of readership.
Measure Early and Often
Your quantitative measurements will vary by the type of
output you measure, but you should determine your own
rubric of qualitative measurement. Are you
satisfied with the length of each web visit or the type
of volunteers that respond to a flyer? If not, you may
want to consider making some adjustments as you go. It
is important to set standards that you can measure and
judge, and check-in frequently to see if you are meeting
them.
Do's and Don'ts
Cause Communications outlines the following "keys to
effective evaluation"
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Set benchmarks in
advance
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Establish clearly
defined goals
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Segment your audience
- try different approaches
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Test along the way
-
Be creative in what
and how you measure
-
Routinely review and
readjust your approach
As you read on in the
resource center, we hope you will learn more about
evaluating your strategy and tactics. The following
resources might be helpful as you make your way through
the rest of the toolkits and articles:
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