Shifting the upside-down nature of data-use in the social sector

A message from our CEO:

This week I spoke with the Vice President of Programs at a foundation who had an insight that I deeply appreciated.

She said that it’s not evaluation that we need at the foundation level (evaluation from an accountability lens); what we need is to encourage our leaders to understand the importance of data, and how to make decisions using data as a learning practice. We need to help focus on building this leadership capacity.

She’s right, in the 2016 State of Evaluation report, produced by Innovation Network, 85% of nonprofits stated they need evaluation to understand what is working, but only 28% exhibited having promising evaluation capacities to carry out that work, and only 8% had staff who were primarily responsible for evaluation.

Hearing this foundation leader thinking about data use from the nonprofit perspective was a breath of fresh air for me. For years, literally years, we have spoken with foundation leaders about the upside-down nature of data-use in the social sector. Grantmakers have shaped data-use in the social sector as a compliance exercise or to inform their own agenda. Rarely have grantmakers supported the development of data-informed decision making within their grantee organizations. If we are to beat the deep social challenges we are all fighting, we need to strengthen this capacity within our organizations.

See how data-use and building a culture of learning can benefit your organization in this report on what does it take to be a successful nonprofit social entrepreneur and scale an organization and this book inspiring leaders in the social and public sectors to take bold action to create more meaningful, measurable good for those they serve.

With Gratitude,

Cindy
Founder and CEO

If this message and/or the resources below resonate with you, please share this month’s Lab Notes with a friend or colleague.

Reading

This DEI guide was created as a resource to help organizations collect the demographic data they need to make informed decisions and reflect the true diversity of the communities they serve.
Community Engagement Matters (Now more than ever)- Stanford Social Innovation Review
Great read on how grantmakers are looking at evaluation through an organizational learning and effectiveness lens, plus 19 stories of grantmakers testing new approaches that reflect the changing views of evaluation and tips on what you can do.