Summary

We are a nonprofit based in New York City who works primarily to provide support and services to refugees from Darfur. With the goal of both integration and education, our programs range from advocacy, training and translation to sports arts and cultural activities. We`re wholly dependent on volunteers and on grants and donations. We sought out a relationship with a local funder who has a history of helping new, innovative nonprofits. The funder explained to us the importance of program monitoring to ensure that a nonprofit can improve what it does, and have systems in place to apply for other funding.

The Background

For all kinds of nonprofits, large and small, effective measurement of performance can help improve performance. In this case, a funder in New York City reached out to a small nonprofit to help them create a self-evaluation template.

The Solution

We were initially skeptical that a nonprofit like ours could effectively monitor and test our success, but decided to implement the following evaluation templates: A. Surveys: this included giving questionnaires to attendees before and after programs and on continuing with phone calls and mailed questionnaires on a continual basis. B. Self-evaluation: We gave each staff member a chance to anonymously speak up about the program, the facilities and even the coffee. Over time, we we were able to track the progress made on these surveys. We found that these templates helped us think about almost everything, from outreach and programs to our office systems and organization. We even started to obtain member feedback after special events!

Lessons Learned

The evaluation templates that we have put in place have served as an invaluable starting point for discussions with other funders. While testing and measurement of our activities seemed like impossible goals, the systems that are now in place have prepared us to attract more funding and provide more programs. When organizations ask what we`re accomplishing we can deliver hard data and measurements. We now have gained confidence in negotiating with new funders and running community events.