Who Measures Outcomes?
The CEO is responsible for measuring program outcomes. They may delegate this task among staff, but they are ultimately responsible. With this information, the Board evaluates if the organization’s strategic goals and objectives are being met and if anything needs to be refined. The Board and CEO partnership is an important one.
As the governing body, the Board completes strategic planning and sets priorities. As the manager, the CEO carries out the program work to accomplish the goals and objectives set by the Board. The organization thrives when both roles are performed well and there is clear communication. If the CEO does not measure and share the outcomes, there is no broad and deep evaluation. The Board becomes a cheering section, not a varied set of strategic voices. If the Board doesn’t participate in strategic planning, there is no high-level priority setting for the staff. The CEO becomes a circus ringleader.
Funders and donors also want to know how well you’re measuring up. Did you feed as many schoolchildren each weekend as you intended? Did it improve their test scores? Ultimately, our board members are fiduciaries. They hold your organization in trust for the public and hold you, the CEO, accountable for reaching the goals set. In this way donors can be assured their charitable gifts are being spent wisely.
If you need help making a plan to measure outcomes, join us for our upcoming training with Rosie Stafford Smith on February 17, 2022. It will be held in person at the Community Foundation of South Alabama and on Zoom from 9:00-12:00. If you can’t join us on the 17th, you may pre-order or purchase a recording of the session at a later date.
Understanding the statistics and metrics of your organization helps to clarify if the mission is being met. This is a tremendous hurdle in any nonprofit organization. Rosie can remove the hurdles and help you see more clearly.