Organizational Management & Planning

Could you use more help thinking through how to use data to help your organization make decisions? If so, you’re not alone. NTEN’s recent report on how nonprofits are using data showed that although some organizations are relying heavily on data, a number were doing very little to actually measure their work or use the data to inform other decisions.

You’ll find some excellent books on this list by Marion Conway, a nonprofit consultant. Good reading for the new year.

Of the more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States, the vast majority are local groups striving to achieve maximum results while operating on budgets well under $1 million. Most aim to deepen their impact within the local community, rather than increase their reach by scaling up nationally. So how do the six practices outlined in our book Forces for Good apply to smaller groups, when we originally studied only large national and global nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, and the Environmental Defense Fund?

Looking for data to plan or evaluation your programs?  Or to support your grant proposal? Need to better understand the community you serve or would like to serve? There are many excellent local, regional, statewide and national data resources available to you.