ImpactStory Quiz Survey

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Your Name

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Your Organization

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Your Email

Community Need

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My organization has easy access at least two sources of publicly available data which can be used to show the community need our programming is addressing.

Yes

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My organization has up-to-date graphs that clearly show how community needs have changed over time.

Yes

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ImpactStory Strategy

Solid Framework

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Where is your organization with having a solid framework?

There is no framework at all. Obviously, we know what we are doing, but we don't have a set way we talk about out impact story.

We are able to talk about our framework, but sometimes it be a little messy and we don’t have a go-to document that shows everything we do.

My organization has a go-to framework and story about why we do what we do and exactly what impacts we expect to achieve as a result.

Programming that Works

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How well is your organization able to explain why the programming you use works?

Experience tells me the organization's programming impacts people's lives, but I can’t really talk about why it’s a good idea or point to anything that shows people will benefit long-term.

There is definitely publications that back up our organization's programming as impacting people's lives in the immediate-term (and maybe the long-term), but we couldn’t put our hands on an actual citation (or enough citations).

The organization's programming has been demonstrated to improve people’s lives both in the immediate-term and in the long-term. The organization has a set of citations to back it up!

Smart Surveys

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How smart are your surveys?

My organization isn't actually collecting data right now other than (maybe) who is being served.

My organization collects data, but a lot of it is reactive: we collect the data we’ve been asked to collect by funders, but not that data that was intentionally chosen because it helps us tell our story.

My organization has at least some surveys or other data that is focused on capturing the story we know needs to be told.

Painless Data Collection

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What systems do you have in place to analyze the data collected?

My organization mostly just counts stuff – in fact, most of it’s on paper. We get stacks of paper and then we do some counting.

Someone at my organization is good at Excel and makes graphs. However, we are not totally confident we are doing it the best way. And/or, we feel a little like we are not qualified to interpret the data.

My organization already has all our data in a database or Excel. We can easily make graphs or create reports. We have report/dashboard templates we are able to easily plug new data into.

Masterful Data Viz

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How clear is your data vizualization?

My organization isn't ready to graph and create visuals with our data.

My organization makes graphs and visuals. But we have one set of visuals we use over and over, or we are constantly creating visuals for different purposes with no clear strategy or consistency.

My organization has branding and templates for how our data is visualized, and we are able to plug impacts in, as needed, for different audiences.

Powerful Impact Stories

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How well does your organization marry data and client narratives into powerful impact stories?

My organization has some personal client narratives and some data about how much work the staff are doing.

My organization has solid personal client narratives about impact, and we have some good data. You generally make sure you use both when writing.

My organization has go-to personal narratives and key impact data identified. We weave them together to build empathy for our clients, as well as trust in our impacts.

Healthy Data Culture

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We have strong, trusting relationships with our funders/donors, and we have solid numbers to really show the impact we are making.

Yes

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The Board of Directors gets regular dashboards and reports showing how many people we are reaching, and what people are getting from our programming.

Yes

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Almost everyone at my organization is bought into collecting data.

Yes

ImpactStory FAQ

How is ImpactStory related to Program Evaluation?
I think about program evaluation being scientific (e.g., proving a program really works) or explorative (e.g., understanding a process). In both cases, this requires someone outside the nonprofit to be involved, it's often a one-time experience, and it can be unwieldy.

ImpactStory is focused on sustainably gathering the essential, actionable data that allows you to improve programs, track staff productivity, and find out what clients got from working with you.

Learn more about the ImpactStory Strategy here: https://mailchi.mp/16bcedb174d4/strategy-brief

What kind of organization does ImpactStory work for?
ImpactStory was developed based on my experience with small- to medium-sized nonprofits (about $250K - $5M) and their funders, but organizations of any size are welcome. Evaluation or data staff at a nonprofit or foundation would also find ImpactStory helpful.

Here's what you need:
(a) leadership who's fully bought in,
(b) a fully functioning board,
(c) a staff person with 5 hrs/wk, on average, to manage the data (but - if you don't have this person - as me about options!),
(d) the person who attends should have a moderate level of Excel knowledge (i.e., know how to use formulas and how to basically creating a graph)

Is creating the ImpactStory Strategy at my organization hard?
Like establishing an accounting system, the strategy does take some time and effort to set up, and the tools must be tailored to the specific immediate impact sought. However, even the process of setting up the Strategy is valuable because it can build buy-in, help promote a learning environment, and engage creativity.

Once the Strategy’s structures are in place, and in as little as about five hours a week, impact tracking, data-driven decision-making, and powerful storytelling evolve as part of the fabric of the organization.

The ImpactStory Academy gives you literally everything you need to set up the ImpactStory Strategy.

Who should attend the ImpactStory Academy?
Nonprofits
-Executive Director
-Development Director
-Marketing Director
-Program Supervisor
-Director of Community Engagement
-Data Manager or Internal Evaluator

Funders
-Foundation President
-Director of Community Engagement and Impact
-Portfolio Manager
-Grants Manager
-Marketing Director
-Data Manager or Internal Evaluator

Bring as many staff as you like, the cost is per organization, NOT per person.

My organization is very small, there are less than 4 staff and we are all stretched very thin. Can we make use of ImpactStory?
Yes! Your data needs are probably pretty straightforward and I can talk to you about what you might need.

I'm also developing shared data capacity, 5 hrs/week of embedded staff support. An Impact Specialist is a professional who knows ImpactStory and who can make the Strategy happen at your organization.