As a nonprofit professional, you know that program improvement is no small feat. This complex process requires nonprofits to meticulously plan changes or expansions to their offerings and then recruit staff members, volunteers, and donors to push those changes forward.

Let’s review 3 best practices your nonprofit can follow to improve its programs and maximize their impact.

1. Revisit your program goals

Well-defined goals provide direction and purpose for your programs. That’s why understanding your program goals should be the first step you take before planning any improvements! With a clear view of what defines program success, you can successfully measure impact to determine your program’s effectiveness and make necessary adjustments.

Ask yourself the following questions to define your target outcomes:

• What core issue does our community face, and how does this program address it?
• Who are our target beneficiaries, and what do they need most?
• What resources, such as revenue, materials, or labor, are required to fulfill this need?
• What specific outcomes are we aiming for, and are they quantifiable?
• How does the program contribute to long-term social change or improvements?

As you answer these questions, keep your nonprofit’s overall mission top of mind. Think of each program as a piece of the puzzle in furthering your work—they each serve their own purpose in supporting the bigger picture.

For example, let’s say a community health nonprofit offers cooking classes to local residents. This initiative aligns with the organization’s mission to improve access to health education and care in underserved communities. However, if some of the nonprofit’s beneficiaries live in a food desert, where access to groceries is limited, then the program doesn’t address a critical issue facing the community. By identifying this gap in its ability to reach its goals, the community health nonprofit can take steps to adjust its cooking class program accordingly.

2. Gather and evaluate program data

As UpMetrics’ guide to measuring social impact explains, impact data enables your organization to make informed decisions to improve and optimize your programs and initiatives. There are two types of data you can analyze to measure impact:

• Quantitative data: This is numerical data that can be easily measured, such as the number of beneficiaries served or the dollar amount of funds raised. Quantitative data helps nonprofits track their progress toward campaign objectives and demonstrates accountability when shared with stakeholders.
• Qualitative data: This is non-numerical data, such as characteristics, behaviors, or experiences, that provides contextual understanding to impact insights. It helps nonprofits understand the intangible effects of their programs or underlying problems that aren’t represented in numbers.

For example, quantitative data could show that an animal shelter found homes for 100 rescued dogs. Qualitative data, on the other hand, might reveal that donors who visited the shelter to meet the dogs or saw pictures of them online were more likely to commit to recurring support.

Gathering both types of information is crucial for a holistic view of your program’s performance, and there are numerous ways your nonprofit can collect this data. Quantitative data can be found in your fundraising software, marketing platforms, and reputable outside sources. For qualitative data, communicate directly with participants through forms, surveys, or focus groups. You can also review third-party data, like Google reviews or news stories, to discover additional perspectives and experiences in your community.

3. Measure short-term and long-term outcomes

Your programs have short-term and long-term results, and the only way to understand your full impact is by analyzing both. By assessing your program’s outcomes, you can identify gaps between your goals and the actual effects of your work. Then, you can make improvements to your programs where needed.

Here’s how you can analyze both types of outcomes:

• Short-term outcomes are the immediate, quantifiable results of your program, such as the number of people served, materials distributed, or participants in an activity. Your nonprofit can measure a program’s short-term effects using a logic model, which reviews the program’s inputs (or resources), activities, and outputs (measurable results of the activities).

• Long-term outcomes are the broader effects your program causes over time, like the improved quality of life for beneficiaries or systemic changes in your community. These results are best measured using an impact framework—a resource that guides organizations through evaluating the long-term effects of their work.

Evaluation frameworks can guide your analysis to ensure you measure the right metrics for each type of outcome. While your organization can create its own impact framework, many find it useful to leverage an existing one to save time and resources.

When it comes to improving your nonprofit’s programs, the best approach you can take is a data-driven one. The right data and strategic analysis will highlight opportunities for improvement, whether they’re as small as updating your nonprofit’s website or as significant as restructuring your organization’s offerings.

Start with a clear vision of what your programs should achieve and where they currently stand. Then, plan actionable (and measurable!) steps to bridge the gaps you see. Make impact measurement an ongoing process so that your nonprofit doesn’t miss any opportunities to maximize its programs’ success.