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Do You Measure What Matters?

Nordstrom’s teaches us that in order to achieve the full mission purpose of your organization you have to be deliberate in what you evaluate. The old business mantra, “What gets measured gets done,” is still true! We might to that mantra; “What is not measured slowly becomes irrelevant!”

If your organization is going to remain Mission True, then we must take serious our definition of success and the tools by which we gain our information. There are no “absolute” tools available. All have some problems on some level.

A study was done on the missionaries of Haiti. The missionary newsletters were collected and various ministries that were working throughout the country. What they discovered from these newsletters was that the entire population of Haiti would be saved every three years.

Something was obviously wrong in the measuring of success!

Mission and Measurement Go Together

What happens to your organization concludes that close enough is good enough? In the same way that a home has structural beams that frame a home, metrics show the soundness of the structure.

A key issue is “Are asking the correct questions that reveals that our activity is mission driven or driving us away from our purpose. In order to comprehend this thought an evaluation of how our metrics are being structured to assist us in the measuring of important data.

Paul Penley of “Excellence in Giving” a philanthropic advisory firm has established some basic YES/NO questions to begin measuring what matters.

YES/NO Self Analysis

1.Have we translated our mission into specific and measurable goals?

2.Are we asking those we serve whether programs are effective and having an impact?

3.Are we measuring program outcomes against benchmarks or averages?

4.Have we completed independent evaluation of program outcomes?

5.Do we use an internal scorecard to track key performance indicators?

Mission True Metrics

To start this segment we must give credit where credit’s due. Growth should be filled with gratitude for what God is doing. God is the one that makes it grow!

Here is a simply four-step process to keep balance in our reporting and measuring.

1.Make an effort to measure more than the easy stuff. Holistic measurements are more meaningful to the people that are assisting us.

2.Identify ways that measurement can lead you away from mission purpose.

3.Believe that measuring something is better than measuring nothing.

4.Admit it is a TEAM effort – not a solo production!

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!