The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox: A Complete Guide to Program Effectiveness, Performance Measurement, and Results

Image Credits x

Foreword xiii

How to Use This Book xv

Author’s Notes xvii

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction 1

Part One: The Basics

Chapter 1: Approaching Outcomes 7

Outcomes: The Third Stage of Management 8

The Problem Approach 10

The Activity Approach 11

The Process Approach 12

The Vision Approach 13

In Summary 15

Chapter 2: The Language of Outcomes 17

Understanding the Language 17

Shifting Perspectives 27

From Funder to Investor 28

From Activity to Results 31

From Service to Change 32

Chapter 3: The Shape of Outcomes 35

The Importance of a Target 35

Characteristics of Well-Defined Outcome Statements 36

Positive Improvement 36

Meaningful 38

Sustainable 39

Bound in Time 42

Bound in Number 43

Narrowly Focused . . . 47

. . . and Doable (with a Stretch!) 48

Measurable 49

Verifiable 54

Chapter 4: Finding Your Outcomes 57

You Get What You Measure 57

Results-Based Accountability (RBA) 62

A Common Outcome Framework 65

Outcomes and Indicators 66

Knowledge/Learning/Attitude 66

Behavior 66

Condition/Status 67

Part Two: Working With Outcomes

Chapter 5: Planning with Outcomes 73

Outcome Management Framework 76

Another Approach 84

Chapter 6: The Capacity for Outcomes 93

Another Tool: SEED 116

Chapter 7: Tracking with Outcomes 121

Chapter 8: Learning with Outcomes 135

Data versus Information versus Knowledge 135

Chapter 9: Communicating with Outcomes 155

The Smart Chart 159

Chapter 10: Communicating Our Outcomes 171

Scales and Ladders 174

The Program Results Story 184

Three Core Questions: Audience, Content, and Flow 197

The Story Pyramid 200

Part Three: Advanced Tools

Chapter 11: The Power of Six Sigma 211

Chapter 12: Keeping It All in Balance 241

Typical Scorecard 242

The Public Sector Scorecard 243

A Governmental Scorecard 245

A Social Sector Scorecard 246

An OASAS Scorecard 247

Chapter 13: Budgeting with Outcomes 255

Chapter 14: Outcomes in Administration 261

Writing the Results Description 264

Part Four: Other Tools and Perspectives

Chapter 15: A Different View of Nonprofits 271

Chapter 16: Thinking about Value 279

Chapter 17: Building Value In 291

Chapter 18: A Few Final Tools . . . 305

Looking for Trouble: FMEA 305

Gone Fishin’: A Cause and Effect Analysis 312

TRIZ: Considering the Contradictions 316

One Final Tool: Process Management 319

Process Documentation 320

Process Mapping 324

Value Stream Mapping 326

Conclusion

Wrapping It All Up 333

Appendix 335

Notes 338

About The Rensselaerville Institute 346

About Charity Navigator 347

About the Author 348

Index 349