Measure Your Organization’s Impact with Performance

Management

July 25, 2013

Social Solutions is the leading provider of performance management software for human

services, connecting efforts to outcomes, people to social services, and service providers

and communities to funders. V1.2011

Social Solutions Company Overview

“To Challenge and Equip Organizations to Turn Good Intent into

Measurable Change by Relating Efforts to Outcomes”

Founded By

Former

Case Managers

In 2000

Chosen by

Thousands of High-

Impact Organizations

100+ Employees

Founders

We will be covering. . .

What is performance management?

The difference between performance management and

evaluation

What it means to become performance driven

How to become performance driven

Resources for performance management

What is Performance Management?

Understanding what is and is not working

Making ongoing adjustments as

needed

Continuing to improve (ongoing process)

Active Monitoring

of Data

The goal is to optimize

your chances for

achieving outcomes

Performance Management

Isaac Castillo, 2011, ETOlution

Past

• Funders decide what data is to be collected

• Satisfy reporting requirements only

• Data collected and reported and never to be used again

Present

• Human service agency decides on the data to be collected

• Data used to inform decision making to improve programs

• Utilize internal databases

Future

• Collecting data and sharing it with clients

• Clients will be partners

• Client friendly reporting

Success Story

Latin American Youth Center

– Residential program

• Isaac Castillo, former

Director of Learning and

Evaluation

2 Types of Performance Management

Strategic

Measuring the aggregate over

extended periods of time

Allows for making higher level decisions

Tactical

Measurements for day-to-day monitoring of

activities

Allows for front line staff to

make frequent adjustments

David Hunter, 2012, Working Hard and

Working Well

What is Evaluation?

Overall definition: An assessment of social programs.

Two types that we will discuss:

1. Formative

1. Are we doing what we say we are doing?

2. Are we serving who we say we are serving?

2. Summative

1. Are we accomplishing what we think we are accomplishing?

David Hunter, 2012, Working Hard and

Working Well

What is the

difference?

Performance

Management

Evaluation

Purpose •Ensure fidelity

•Plan and guide

improvements

•Understand performance

•Describe operations

•Assess effectiveness

Timing •Throughout the

program’s life

•Once or periodically

People responsible •Program staff •External evaluator

Benchmarks •Progress is measured

against key measures

•Progress is measured by

increases and decreases

in desired outcomes that

are predetermined

Walker, K.E. & Moore, K.A, 2011, Performance

management and evaluation: What’s the difference?.

Research-to-Results: Child Trends.

Targeting

Conduct

Needs

Assessment

Identify

Your

Population

Select Intervention,

Develop Logic Model

& Identify Indicators

Implement Program/Approach &

Conduct Ongoing Performance

Management

Conduct a Randomized-Controlled

Impact Evaluation

[if appropriate and feasible]

Collect Data on Performance & Outcome Measures

Conduct a Quasi-Experimental

Outcomes Evaluation

[once implementation issues are addressed]

Conduct an Implementation Evaluation

[once program operations are stable]

Moore, K. A., Walker, K. & Murphey, D.(2011). Performance Management:

The Neglected Step in Becoming an Evidence-Based Program, in Morino,

M., Weiss, L. & Collins, C., Leap of Reason (111-.116). Washington, D.C.:

Venture Philanthropy Partners.

Becoming Performance Driven

Performance Leadership

“Relentless Operational Leaders”

• Focused on making the current situation better

“Results Focused Managers”

• Making sure that the existing program works well

David Hunter, 2013, Working Hard

and Working Well

Management Structure

“Accountability system”

• Staff to Managers

• Managers to Staff

“Results based budgeting”

• Staff competencies

• Data Management System

David Hunter, 2013, Working Hard and Working

Well

Information and Knowledge

“Measuring and Monitoring”

• What you need to know about in order to determine whether or not you are doing a good job.

“Evaluations”

• Assessment

David Hunter, 2013, Working Hard and Working

Well

What is Theory of Change?

How we effect change

▫ Overarching set of formal relationships presumed to exist for

A defined population

The intended outcomes that are the focus of the organization’s work

The logic model for producing the intended outcomes

▫ Should be

Meaningful to stakeholders

Plausible in that it conforms to common sense

Doable with available resources

Measurable

Mario Marino, 2011, Leap of Reason

What is a logic model?

Logically related parts of a program

▫ Shows links between

Program objectives

Program activities

Expected outcomes

Makes clear

▫ Who will be served

▫ What should be accomplished

▫ How it will be done (specifically)

Data Management System

Measure what you need to know

All levels must be invested and trained

Intentionality

ETO – Participant Dashboard

Goal Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Framework for Success

Are you working with the correct Target Population?

▫ Are you trying to be everything to everyone?

Are you providing the most appropriate services for that

population?

▫ Have the programs/services been proven to be effective

for that population?

Are those services being provided at the appropriate

frequency/dosage?

▫ Can you expect positive outcome results at a low

frequency of services provided?

Can you demonstrate program quality?

▫ i.e. customer satisfaction

Does your staff have the competencies to be most effective?

▫ Do you invest in professional development?

Are you collecting aggregate data?

▫ Are we doing what we are promising to do?

“We’re lost, but making good time”

Why do most nonprofits NOT manage to performance?

▫Not encouraged or supported to manage well

▫Do not recognize and reward good management

▫Funders don’t provide financial support needed

▫Nonprofits are a function of what funders require

▫Cutting costs undermines the pursuit of impact

▫Fear that information will be used against them

▫Lack of respect for soft outcomes

▫Too much focus on the mechanics of measurement

and not what the data reveal.

Mario Marino – “Leap of Reason”

Can we identify a high performing

organization?

Does the organization have:

1. Clarity of mission

2. Track record of being mission driven

3. Intentional review of activities

4. Accountability system

5. Budgeting for performance

6. Measuring/monitoring

7. Use of data to make adjustments (tactical or strategically)

8. Evaluation – evidence for likely program impact

9. Fidelity of program delivery

David Hunter, 2013, Working

Hard and Working Well

“Leap of Reason – Managing to Outcomes in

an Era of Scarcity”

Mario Marino - Venture Philanthropy

Partners

Managing to Outcomes

▫ Investing in continuous collection and

use of information to guide an

organizations decisions and

operations.

To What End?

▫ One end in mind – helping non profits

deliver greater benefits to those they

serve.

• David Hunter, PhD, Consultant

Companion to Leap of Reason

Practical guide to developing a

culture of performance

management

“Those who rely on social services in

order to overcome personal, economic,

and societal challenges need the social

sector to embrace performance

management, to ‘manage to outcomes’

with dedication, commitment, and

passion.”

Cultivating a Performance Oriented Culture

Requires significant culture shift. It is primarily

about culture and people, not numbers.

Outcomes and having a performance culture are

dependent on an attitude and mindset that must

come from within

Courageous leaders who foster a performance

culture

“Greatness is not a function of circumstance.

Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of

conscious choice, and discipline.” – Jim

Collins

Common misconceptions

We track a lot of data, does that make us a performance driven

organization?

▫ Do the staff and leadership have access to that data?

▫ Do they use that data to drive their decisions?

▫ Do you and your staff know why you are tracking the information?

We would love to monitor the effectiveness of certain staff because

we suspect they aren’t doing their jobs well.

▫ Nonprofits folks don’t come to their jobs for the pay.

▫ This should not be a punitive process.

▫ The idea is to focus on WHAT WORKS and replicate it.

We just went through a strategic planning process and

implemented many changes based on the data, are we

performance driven?

This is not a one shot deal. This should be daily, weekly,

monthly…monitoring…

Patrick Corvington, CEO,

Corporation for National and Community Service

“The issues we face everyday are too big to be left to one leader,

one organization or even one government. But more than that, they

are too big and their success too critical to be left to the chance of

good intentions. These problems will be solved only with the

courage to stand for something that matters – to stand for results.

In order to step up to this challenge, we need to reconnect with that

part of our souls that drives us to make a difference no matter what

the odds. It’s this passion that inspires me and you to take our work

to the next level so that instead of saying “I hope I made a

difference” we can say “I know I made a difference.”

But what does that mean?

Focus on a narrow set of outcomes and drive relentlessly

toward those results.

Questions?

Contact Information:

jalleman@socialsolutions.com