Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | What Do Donors Want?

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | What Do Donors Want?: "n short, many wondered: Do donors want more information about nonprofits and, if so, what kind? And if they have it, will it change their minds about what they support?

March to Metrics

There is little question that data, metrics, and measurement have become embedded into the philanthropic process in recent years—practices were initially met with deep skepticism by some but eventually gained considerable traction among a majority of nonprofits and philanthropic institutions. Today, in fact, few would argue against the need for more evidence-based measures of progress, outcomes, and impact. Foundations, in particular, have been focused on helping nonprofits beef up their data collection and evaluative capacities, due to a growing demand from their boards for evidence that their investments were having an impact. Also a factor is increased public and government scrutiny, and competition from private companies moving into markets in which nonprofits had traditionally dominated. Even among nonprofits that initially recoiled at collecting data on their outcomes, there is now a general understanding that “doing God’s work” may no longer be sufficient to justify their existence in a rapidly changing world"

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