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Dear Reader,

In the social sector, we see a lot of nonprofits dive into impact measurement because of accountability pressures sparked by funder reporting requirements or board requests.

It’s an important capacity for organizations and most funders want to understand the impact of their investments. But often, requests for impact reporting come out of context with limited understanding of the capacity nonprofits have to provide the requested information, or limited consideration of what data nonprofits are already capturing to best understand and improve their results. While well intentioned (likely to prove the impact of an investment), these requests can be counterproductive if they are not aligned with the nonprofits' needs. It often causes nonprofits to focus resources on capturing and analyzing new measures that have limited internal utility.

But we are seeing a change in this landscape, and we are fortunate to work with a number of funders who are helping lead that change. These funders care deeply about equitable funding practices and how they can best support the organizations they fund. They recognize that building a culture of learning and data is a long-term game, and that 1-day workshops or digital toolkits are not enough. What's starting to emerge through this shift is the rise of communities of practice (COP) learning models, which combine opportunities for peer learning (where desired by the nonprofit) and deep dive coaching sessions for more individualized support.

What’s setting these communities of practice (COP) apart from other capacity building efforts?

• Focus on nonprofit needs: There is an inherent tension when it comes to the ‘why’ that drives a measurement practice. Often what gets prioritized is the funder’s data needs leading to reporting-focused data practices. In these COP experiences, funders are focusing on the nonprofit’s data needs, which helps nonprofits shift to a more impact-focused data practice.

• Shift in perspective around data: When the data needs are centered on a nonprofit’s impact strategy, they start to see how data is helping them learn about what is working and how to improve what isn’t. Nonprofit partners tell us that this approach has shifted their data practices from a transactional activity that they wanted to get done as quickly as possible, to an activity that their team now engages in with intent and interest because it provides them with information they need.   

• Right sizing the learning experience: Different nonprofits need different types of support because of the uniqueness of their programs and the developmental stage of their data practice. The longer-term nature of these engagements allows time to build relationships and develop trust with the nonprofits. This then allows nonprofits to share their true needs and available resources and allows funders to better understand the nonprofits’ context. With this understanding, funders and their capacity building partners can better support the nonprofit to build a data practice that is feasible, useful and sustainable.

The excitement and feedback we are hearing from the nonprofits participating in these experiences is a constant reminder of the impact that data can have on an organization. We hope to see these communities of practice expand across the sector.

If you’re interested in exploring a community of practice opportunities, let us know. Click on the link that best applies to you.

• I’m part of a nonprofit organization and am interested in participating in a COP learning experience.

• I’m part of a foundation and am interested in offering a COP learning experience to the organizations we fund.

• I’m part of a government agency and am interested in offering a COP learning experience to the organizations we fund.

Founder & CEO

June Resources

READING

• How to Reimagine the Relationship Between Nonprofits and Funders: Evaluation in Service of Community  – A panel conversation ResultsLab moderated to hear the perspectives from a nonprofit and a funder, and how meeting nonprofit needs lends itself to greater community impact.

• Toward a Trust-Based Framework for Learning and Evaluation – Taking an expansive view to do learning and evaluation that invites adaptability, complexity and long-term thinking.

• How Can We Help Our Grantees Strengthen Their Capacity for Evaluation – Strengthening nonprofit capacity to use evaluation by helping identify the questions and data that matter most to them, providing high-quality training, and by engaging in long-term trusting partnerships.
  

WATCHING & LISTENING

• Podcast Interview with Executive Director of Trust-Based Philanthropy – What it looks like to move from transactional philanthropy to a more partnership-oriented approach, including how we measure impact and implement evaluation in the sector.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Impact Collective Info Session - learn more about ResultsLab's online community of changemakers that are ready to do more with data. Hear how our online course, learning deep dives, and data mastermind groups are helping nonprofit evaluators and data professionals strengthen their networks and organizational data practices.
  
  • June 14 at 1pm (MT).
    
  • No cost to attend.
  • Read more about the Impact Collective here.

LET'S CONNECT

If you would like to contribute to content or would like us to include your resources in the future, please reach out to info@resultslab.com and we will connect with you!

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ResultsLab is a woman-owned social enterprise that propels organizations, communities, and networks to the next level of impact through quality design and effective use of data. We are reinventing impact management by providing strategic design and capacity building for data informed decision-making to organizations and networks that exist to drive change for our communities.