–The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox was awarded the 2012 Association of Fundraising Professionals/Skystone Partners Research Award, the jury saying that the book “exemplifies the high standards of scholarship the Prize’s originators sought to encourage.”–
One of the most talked about subjects in the nonprofit field is the question of effectiveness, performance measurement, and results—collectively referred to as “outcomes.” Nonprofit organizations are increasingly being pressed to measure and report their outcomes regularly to funders and other constituents; in addition, service organizations need some form of regular feedback on their outcomes to help them improve their services. The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox identifies the stages in the use of outcomes and shows you how to implement specific facets of certain models to increase capacity and achieve desired results in your organization.
Written by Robert Penna—one of the nation’s leading outcomes experts, The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox compiles the most significant strides that have been made in the performance of nonprofits.
This valuable toolbox digs deep to go beyond the familiar limits of the social sector to illustrate how tools and approaches used in the corporate sector can be of great analytical and practical use to nonprofits as well.
Through the use of worksheets and examples, Dr. Penna offers structured guidance on how to tailor these tools to your organization’s unique challenges and equip your “toolbox” to suit your program or organization’s needs.
Designed to be used by those who are new to outcomes as well as anyone looking for a refresher, The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox is divided into four accessible sections:
- Basics: Putting outcomes into an overall managerial context, contrasting the outcomes approach with several more common approaches to program design, the vocabulary of outcomes, the characteristics of good outcomes, and identifying outcomes relevant to your program
- Working with Outcomes: Planning with outcomes, the different levels of organizational capacity and capacity assessment, using outcomes to track progress, the key characteristics of a good “Lessons Learned” system, and outcome-based communications
- Advanced Tools: Six Sigma methodology, The Balanced Scorecard, key insights from the service economy, and an array of ideas from Value Engineering, Process Mapping, inventive problem solving, Failure Mode Effect Analysis, personnel recruitment and evaluation, budgeting with outcomes, and the creation of a value proposition for your program or organization
- Other Tools & Perspectives: SERVQUAL analysis, Cost vs. Worth vs. Value, building value in, and process mapping
The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox puts an arsenal of tools at your fingertips to help your nonprofit perform more efficiently, effectively, and productively, from top to bottom.
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Praise for The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox
“A well-done tutorial on outcome use and assessment.”
—MARIO MORINO, Cofounder and Chairman, Venture Philanthropy Partners
“. . . a real contribution to the field. What makes this an amazing document is its depth and comprehensiveness. There’s just an extraordinary amount of information here, and Penna has made quite an effort to make it useful. I also really appreciate the conversational style, the exercises, and the pop culture references. It’s clear Penna made a real effort to keep this engaging for the reader.”
—JACOB HAROLD, Program Officer, Philanthropy Program, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
“. . . the Encyclopedia of Outcomes . . .”
—DEBRA NATENSHON, CEO, The Center for What Works
“Penna has pulled it all together and provided an enormously useful overview.”
—MICHAEL E. CLARK, President, Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York
“The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox takes outcome funding a quantum leap forward. We have struggled for years to help our investees implement an outcome strategy with mixed success. Penna has created a simple, easy-to-use, and easy-to understand road map for organizations committed to becoming more effective and sustainable.”
—ALAN SORKIN, President, Social Venture Partners International
Managing to Outcomes Forum at NYU Wagner | June 13, 2011
Hosted by Charity Navigator and NYU Wagner
Sponsored by The Hewlett Foundation and Liquidnet
