Measurement Made Easy
This is Part 3 in our “End-of-Year Checklist” series. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
This article contains work and methods created by Clarity Channels Communications.
Ah, December. Our favorite month to talk about measurement here at The EO Report. (Don’t run away!)
Many communicators tell us that capturing metrics and getting them on paper is their biggest source of dread – much less taking that information and translating it into a compelling impact story.
But here’s the thing. Even when all other projects are moving forward at lightning speed, it’s critical to take a moment to look backward – to celebrate, to adjust, and most importantly, to show progress and value.
It also doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need a fancy dashboard (we don’t use one a lot of the time). You also don’t have to know everything about the hundreds of daunting industry terms and acronyms. You just need to know your 1) mission or vision and 2) what evidence exists that your work this year made progress.
So, we’re issuing you a challenge. This month, set aside just two hours for reflection and measurement capture. This article is a framework for those just getting started with measurement – one you can build on as you increase capacity and your organizational measurement skillset. You can be the one that puts these critical steps in place for your organization.
Step 1: Reflect
Here are some framing questions to ponder. Write down your thoughts – these will be your guide for capturing progress.
What were your organizational goals for the year?
If goals weren’t clearly stated, retroactively define them. What was the unwritten organizing goal/s for the year? Or, how can you frame a goal around the work that happened?
For more information about goals and impact review our interview with Monique Farmer.
How do the goal/s align to your mission, vision, and values?
Need help getting clarity on your mission? – We can help!
We recommend using these questions to pull together some consistent categories to measure against year-over-year, but we’ll get to that in a future edition.
To get started, though, think through what your organization accomplished this year that contributed to meeting these goals or furthering your mission. Start writing them down! Bullet points are just fine! If you have numbers or metrics you can assign to them, all the better.
The Avenue Scholars Impact Report is a fabulous example of measurement at work.
The Avenue Scholars mission is to “bridge the gap between education and business, and guarantee careers for our youth and hope of need through supportive relationships, individualized coaching, education, and training.”
The impact report clearly outlines the organization’s mission and values. It categorizes what success looks like by developing five program guarantees. Then, it shares metrics that offer proof of success in those program guarantees. Here’s how it’s executed.
There are five pillars of impact for staff (page 5)
These pillars align to the mission and values (page 6)
The mission guides guaranteed program outcomes (page 7)
Impact is proven through statistics on page 9-10 and throughout the rest of the report in narrative form.
Step 2: Reach Out
You don’t have to do it alone! Once you’ve created an outline with your framing questions, send it to relevant members of your team to ask for feedback and data points. If your organization is broken into departments or programs, request a few bullet points from each team. Some teams can work through email, some teams work better in person.
Step 3: Tell a Story
You have the data – now you just have to do something with it. Your most important job is to translate the why. Numbers without context are just numbers – it’s our role to give them life and explain how a number translates to impact. After all, that’s the fun part of being a communicator.
For example: “We grew by 1,000 followers on Instagram” doesn’t translate to impact, but “We grew by 1,000 followers on Instagram which led to an increase in donations on our website” sure does.
It’s also important to make it digestible. Audiences have a hard time following numbers, so make it concise and visual. The Communities for Kids initiative report is an excellent example of this in action (do not miss pages 34-37 - *chef’s kiss!*).
The best part of doing this fundamental work is that not only is it an important organizational practice, it’s also content for you! Social media posts, infographics, email fodder – the possibilities are endless!
The Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (NECC) smartly shared their tenth anniversary impact highlights and measurement categories in a letter to seek support during a community-wide day of giving. They show incredible evidence that the programs they lead are successfully supporting two key audiences: child care providers and families with young children. It provides exquisite clarity.
Step 4: Build on It
You’ve got to start somewhere, and in 2025, having some good data in your pocket for storytelling is a great place to start.
But now, it’s time to build.
Start having strategic discussions on what exactly you should be measuring year-over-year. Remember those measurement buckets we referred to above? Stay tuned for our January “Start the Year Off with Clarity” series.
Plan out storytelling. What data do you need to tell the story that will have the most impact on your audience?
Add data collection to your editorial calendar so that it doesn’t fall off the radar.