The most valuable and least understood purpose of performance measurement is how it enables organizations to improve impact, whether that’s through better services for clients, better resource allocation, more rapid innovation or other benefits. The entries below share experience around how to use measurement to continuously learn and improve.

Performance Measurement 

Actionable Measurement: Getting from

Actionable Measurement: Getting from "Prove" to "Improve"

Kim Siegal, One Acre Fund, Matt Forti, One Acre Fund

11/01/2016 | 6 min

data | evaluation

Performance Measurement 

Making Measurement Work in Large, Complex Organizations

Making Measurement Work in Large, Complex Organizations

Matthew Forti

02/05/2014 | 5 mins

Philanthropy 

Five Ways Funders Can Replicate What Works

Five Ways Funders Can Replicate What Works

Carole Matthews

12/23/2013 | 5 mins

Pay What It Takes 

Impact, Not Overhead, Is What Counts

Impact, Not Overhead, Is What Counts

Carole Matthews

11/20/2013 | 5.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

Beyond Input—What Happens When Nonprofits Really Engage The People They Serve?

Beyond Input—What Happens When Nonprofits Really Engage The People They Serve?

Carole Matthews

09/09/2013 | 4.5 mins

constituent voice

Performance Measurement 

Measuring to Improve vs. Improving Measurement

Measuring to Improve vs. Improving Measurement

Matthew Forti

05/22/2013 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Ten Years of Performance Measurement

Ten Years of Performance Measurement

Matthew Forti

04/18/2013 | 5 mins

Philanthropy 

How Leading Philanthropists Fail Well

How Leading Philanthropists Fail Well

Matt Forti, Matt Plummer

03/13/2013 | 5 mins

Performance Measurement 

What Obama’s Campaign Can Teach Nonprofits about Measurement

What Obama’s Campaign Can Teach Nonprofits about Measurement

Matthew Forti

02/11/2013 | 4.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

Social Sector Measurement: Down but Not Out

Social Sector Measurement: Down but Not Out

Matthew Forti

01/15/2013 | 3.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

Measuring to Scale What Works at the YMCA

Measuring to Scale What Works at the YMCA

Matthew Forti

12/17/2012 | 5 mins

 

Five Ways to Avoid the Data System Trap

Five Ways to Avoid the Data System Trap

Matthew Forti

11/13/2012 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Communicating Impact: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It!

Communicating Impact: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It!

Matthew Forti

10/24/2012 | 3 mins

Performance Measurement 

On Sports and Performance Assessment

On Sports and Performance Assessment

Carole Matthews

10/10/2012 | 4 mins

Measuring to Improve 

Actionable Measurement at the Gates Foundation

Actionable Measurement at the Gates Foundation

Matthew Forti

09/06/2012 | 6.5 mins

 

How Would Your Constituents Measure?

How Would Your Constituents Measure?

Matthew Forti

08/22/2012 | 3 mins

Performance Measurement 

Measuring Advocacy - Yes We Can!

Measuring Advocacy - Yes We Can!

Matthew Forti

08/01/2012 | 4.54 mins

Performance Measurement 

Measurement that Benefits the Measured

Measurement that Benefits the Measured

Matthew Forti

07/09/2012 | 5 mins

Philanthropy 

Four Ways Donors Support Their Grantees with Performance Measurement

Four Ways Donors Support Their Grantees with Performance Measurement

Matthew Forti

06/18/2012 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Six Pitfalls To Avoid in Developing Your Theory of Change

Six Pitfalls To Avoid in Developing Your Theory of Change

Matthew Forti

06/04/2012 | 4.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

How FIRST Refined Its Theory of Change to Improve Measurement

How FIRST Refined Its Theory of Change to Improve Measurement

Matthew Forti

05/17/2012 | 5.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

You May Be Looking for the Wrong Measurement Director - Matthew Forti

You May Be Looking for the Wrong Measurement Director - Matthew Forti

Matthew Forti

05/03/2012 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Making Measurement More Than an Add-on

Making Measurement More Than an Add-on

Matthew Forti

04/23/2012 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Worth a Look: PerformWell Performance Management Resource

Worth a Look: PerformWell Performance Management Resource

Matthew Forti

03/28/2012 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Pop Quiz: How Can Measurement Improve Student Learning?

Pop Quiz: How Can Measurement Improve Student Learning?

Matthew Forti

03/15/2012 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Seven Deadly Sins of Impact Evaluation

Seven Deadly Sins of Impact Evaluation

Matthew Forti

02/29/2012 | 4.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

What “The Wire” Has to Teach Us about Nonprofit Performance Measurement

What “The Wire” Has to Teach Us about Nonprofit Performance Measurement

Matthew Forti

02/14/2012 | 4 mins

Philanthropy 

Ensuring That “Scaling What Works” Actually Works

Ensuring That “Scaling What Works” Actually Works

Matthew Forti

02/02/2012 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Refreshing Your Nonprofit Board Dashboard

Refreshing Your Nonprofit Board Dashboard

Matthew Forti

01/17/2012 | 3.5 mins

Philanthropy 

Donors Want More Information on Impact

Donors Want More Information on Impact

Matthew Forti

12/15/2011 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Measuring Leadership Development

Measuring Leadership Development

Matthew Forti

11/28/2011 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Making Money: A Bonus of Measuring to Improve Performance

Making Money: A Bonus of Measuring to Improve Performance

Matthew Forti, Peter Kim

10/31/2011 | 4 mins

data | evaluation

Performance Measurement 

Could Poor Economics Unleash a Quality Revolution?

Could Poor Economics Unleash a Quality Revolution?

Matthew Forti

10/17/2011 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Mobile Measurement: Lowering Costs and Engaging Beneficiaries

Mobile Measurement: Lowering Costs and Engaging Beneficiaries

Matthew Forti

09/29/2011 | 3.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

Developing Your Measurement Pathway

Developing Your Measurement Pathway

Matthew Forti

09/13/2011 | 4.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

Don’t Let Conventional Measurement Wisdom Fragment Your Impact

Don’t Let Conventional Measurement Wisdom Fragment Your Impact

Matthew Forti

08/30/2011 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Live from InterAction Forum: Trends to Watch in NGO Measurement

Live from InterAction Forum: Trends to Watch in NGO Measurement

Matthew Forti

08/15/2011 | 3 mins

Philanthropy 

How Funders Can Support the Leap of Reason

How Funders Can Support the Leap of Reason

Matthew Forti

07/26/2011 | 3 mins

Performance Measurement 

Now, What Exactly Should We Measure? - Nonprofit Performance Measurement

Now, What Exactly Should We Measure? - Nonprofit Performance Measurement

Matthew Forti

07/07/2011 | 4 mins

Performance Measurement 

Creating a Culture of Learning and Accountability

Creating a Culture of Learning and Accountability

Matthew Forti

06/17/2011 | 3 mins

Performance Measurement 

Best of Both Worlds: Bridging the Gap Between Monitoring and Evaluation

Best of Both Worlds: Bridging the Gap Between Monitoring and Evaluation

Matthew Forti

05/27/2011 | 3.5 mins

Performance Measurement 

Measuring to Improve Impact

Measuring to Improve Impact

Matthew Forti

05/17/2011