Building Capacity to Measure and Manage Performance
This article explores what it takes to build the capacity for measuring and managing performance. It is written for nonprofits
(and their funders) who are ready to embark on the journey of measuring for learning and improvement, or who are somewhere along the path. Informed by interviews with a dozen nonprofit chief executive officers (CEOs)/executive directors (EDs) or measurement directors, diverse in the maturity of their organizations’ programs, size, geography, and fields, the article reflects their thoughts on what worked and didn’t work as they built their measurement capacity. It also draws on over 10 years of consulting and executive search work at The Bridgespan Group, in which we’ve had the opportunity to observe the kinds of strategies and people that have made performance measurement successful.
Main themes include the following:
Theme 1: It takes leadership commitment, more than cash, to get started
Theme 2: Provide incentives to nurture a culture of continuous improvement
Theme 3: Engage outside expertise early and often over time to support internal capacity
Theme 4: Your first Measurement Director needs more than just data skills
Theme 5: Evolve the measurement function as the organization grows and priorities shift
 As well as suggestions for finding a Measurement Director
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| Author | Matthew Forti & Kathleen Yazbak |
| Publisher | The Bridgespan Group |
| Publication Date | April 14, 2012 |
| Publication City | New York City |
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| Submitted to Point K | May 15, 2012 - 11:27am |
