The organizations that create the greatest impact are the ones that make time to thoughtfully prepare for the future. Believe it or not, 2027 is right around the corner.

A nonprofit can deliver an excellent program, meet its goals, and demonstrate positive outcomes for the people it serves. Yet the larger community challenge that brought the organization into existence may remain. Children may be better prepared for kindergarten, but school readiness gaps persist. Families may find stable housing, but housing insecurity continues across the community. Young adults may complete workforce training, but barriers to long-term employment remain. T

A recent article by Will Jones, president and CEO of Thompson Child & Family Focus, Impact Over Survival: Why Donors Should Fund Nonprofits That Thrive, Not Just Survive, raises an important question about philanthropy: Are we funding nonprofits simply to keep their doors open, or are we investing in organizations that can create meaningful, measurable impact? President/CEO @ THOMPSON Child & Family Focus For nonprofit leaders, there is an important takeaway. The conversation

Nonprofits depend on data for two responsibilities that have become increasingly connected: demonstrating the results of their work and protecting the people whose information makes that measurement possible. That connection was the focus of our recent webinar, The Data Funders Need: What to Measure, Report, and Protect for Funding Success, featuring SureImpact CEO and founder, Sheri Chaney Jones, and Jacob Turowski, Vice President of IT Services at CCB Technology. We discuss

Most nonprofits don't need more data. They need the right data. The challenge isn't simply collecting information. The bigger challenge is understanding whether people are making meaningful progress, programs are producing measurable results, and investments are creating lasting change.

Growth is usually viewed as a sign of success for a nonprofit. More people served, more programs, more employees, more funding, more locations, and more partnerships can all represent meaningful progress. Yet growth itself tells us very little about whether an organization is becoming more successful at fulfilling its mission. In a recent NonProfit PRO article, “Grow Your Nonprofit Without Losing Sight of the Mission”, author Rey Ramsey makes the case that nonprofit growth sh

Nonprofits have never had access to more data than they do today. From donor management systems and program dashboards to participant surveys and financial reports, organizations collect information at nearly every stage of their work.

For many nonprofit leaders, "doing more with less" has become the unofficial job description. Demand for services continues to grow. Funding is increasingly competitive and often restricted. Staff capacity remains limited while administrative requirements continue to expand. Funders want greater accountability and stronger evidence of impact. And while technology has given organizations access to more data and insights than ever before, many leaders still struggle to turn tha

For more than 15 years, I have encouraged nonprofit leaders to answer a question that can fundamentally change how they manage programs, communicate with funders, and allocate resources: What does it cost for one person to successfully achieve the outcome your program exists to create?

Philanthropic organizations face an understandable temptation to address every urgent need they encounter. Communities experience interconnected challenges involving financial security, health, housing, education, workforce development, food access, and many other issues. A funder may see worthy opportunities across all of them.

For years, nonprofit leaders have heard the same message from funders: Show us your impact. That expectation has pushed many organizations to collect more information about their programs, participants, services, and results. Nonprofits now maintain donor records, participant assessments, case notes, spreadsheets, program logs, surveys, financial reports, and grant reporting data. Yet collecting information and using information are two very different capabilities. In the Sta

For decades, nonprofit success has often been described through measures of organizational growth. A larger budget, more employees, new locations, and higher participation numbers could all signal that an organization was thriving. Those measures still provide useful information. Yet they reveal only part of the story. A nonprofit can serve more people without producing better outcomes. It can receive a major grant without developing a dependable funding model. It can launch

Let’s cut right to it. The best way for nonprofits to measure social impact is to focus on how you’re improving people’s lives—not just how many people you serve, but how they’re actually better off because of your programs. Everything else feeds into that. Start with the difference you want to make, map how you’ll get there, bring in feedback from the people you serve, and keep everything connected through reliable data. Let’s talk through how this really works, and why so m

Nonprofit leaders are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources. Budgets are tight. Staff capacity is stretched. Community needs are rising. Funders and donors want clearer evidence that their dollars are creating meaningful change. These pressures point to a major shift in how nonprofit success will be defined over the next decade. Size will matter less than clarity. Longevity will matter less than evidence. A recognizable name may open a door, yet measurable results

Over the past several weeks, I've had the opportunity to conduct Quarterly Business Reviews with nonprofit organizations serving communities across a wide range of issue areas, including workforce development, housing stability, healthcare access, youth development, family support, food security, and community engagement.

For years, communities across the country have invested significant time, energy, and resources into building collaborative networks. Nonprofits, schools, faith communities, government agencies, healthcare providers, businesses, and foundations have come together around a common goal: improving the lives of the people they serve. These partnerships have strengthened referral networks, increased coordination, and reduced duplication of services. Yet despite these advances, mos

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Flywheel Impact Catalyst in Cincinnati, an inspiring gathering of social entrepreneurs, impact investors, nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, and changemakers who are committed to solving complex social challenges.

Out-of-school time (OST) providers are being asked to do more than ever before. Funders want evidence of impact. Families want high quality experiences for their children. Staff want supportive workplaces with opportunities to grow. Community leaders want programs that contribute to educational success, workforce readiness, and community well being. Meeting those expectations requires more than good intentions. It requires good data. Yet many OST organizations struggle with a

Out of school time programs have never been more important. Across the country, families are looking for safe, engaging, high quality opportunities for their children before school, after school, and during the summer months. At the same time, OST providers face a difficult reality. Demand continues to grow while funding remains uncertain, staffing shortages persist, and many organizations struggle to reach all the young people who could benefit from their programs. Yet some

Over the past several months, we’ve worked alongside organizations ranging from domestic violence shelters and museums to workforce collaboratives, universities, aging services agencies, and community nonprofits through the Managing to Outcomes Bootcamp. At first glance, these organizations seemed very different. Some were navigating major funding transitions. Others were expanding programs, implementing new CRMs, preparing for strategic planning, or trying to improve board