From the 2019 Nonprofit Technology Conference

1. Volunteer Impact Made
Practical
Devise Your Own Use-Friendly Data
Collection Tool
Elisa Kosarin, CVA
Twenty Hats
Liza Dyer, CVA
Multnomah County
Library
March 13, 2019
#19NTCvolimpact
Collaborative Notes
Session Evaluation

2. Housekeeping
Collaborative Notes
http://po.st/volimp
act-19NTC
#19NTCvolimpact

3. A
Question
How will strategic
volunteer impact
measures help you?

4. a. “Last year, over 100 volunteer
groups signed up to collect 20,000
tons of food.”
b. “Last year, our volunteer groups
doubled their food collection.”
c. “Last year, our volunteer groups
brought in enough food to
provide meals to 100% of our
clients annually.”
A Quick
Quiz

5. Today’s
Goals
1. Review the process for creating strategic
impact measures
2. Assess multiple options for data
collection
3. Devise one user-friendly method for
collecting impact data

6. Why Focus
on the Data
Collection?
1. Measuring impact is pointless unless
the process is practical and easy to
implement
2. There is often more than one way to
collect data. Best to pinpoint the most
effective process.
3. Depending on your Indicator, you may
need to create a new data collection
tool

7. What are
volunteer
impact
measures?

8. Definition
Volunteer impact measures are
statistics that illustrate how your
volunteers are improving the
quality of life for your clients
and helping deliver on your
organization’s mission

9. Impact
Measures
Answer a
BIG
Question
How do we
document that
we are reaching
our goals?

10. Example
Multnomah County Library
Goal:
Volunteers reflect the diversity of the
community served
 Culture
 Language
 Race
 Ethnicity
 Abilities

11. Example
Multnomah County Library
Desired Impact Outcome
 Number of languages spoken by
volunteers reflects languages used
in the community

12. Introducing
the Logic
Model

13. Two Things to
Remember
1. Measures are based on
your nonprofit’s strategic
plan goals
2. Measures are results, or
outcomes-focused

14. Strategic Goal:
Inputs Activities Outputs Indicators Data Source Outcomes
Logic Model Components
https://www.svunitedway.com/sites/svunitedway.oneeach.org/files/Sample%20Logic%20Model.pdf

15. Definitions – Logic Model Components
Goal
Goal A broad statement, aligned with the strategic plan, that describes the
overall result you would like to see
Activities What the program does to meet its goal
Outputs Quantifiable products of program activity
Indicators Specific, observable, and measurable markers of progress
Data Source The type of information that is collected for reporting the Indicator
Outcomes The benefits of changes related to the goal as measured over time
Inputs The people or resources used to achieve the goal

16. Strategic Goal:
Ensure enough meals to meet all requests
Inputs Volunteer-Related
Activities
Outputs Indicators Data Source Target Outcomes
Volunteers
Staff
Food donors
Vans
Supplies
Budget
Food Pick-Up by
volunteer groups
# of volunteer
groups
# of food pickups
# vans available
for pickup
An increase in
amount of offered
food that is picked
up
Spreadsheet 90% of all offered
food is picked up
on average each
month
Example – Helpings for All

17. The Indicator defines the strategic result of
the activity
This strategic result is the basis of the
Outcome
Indicators

18. 1. Specific
2. Observable
3. Measurable
Components
of an
Indicator
4. Directional

19. Target
Outcome
90% of all offered
food is picked up
on average each
month
Indicator to Outcomes
Actual
Outcome
82% of all offered
food is picked up
on average each
month
Indicator
An increase in
amount of
offered food that
is picked up

20. Outcomes
and Process
Indicator
Examples
Mission-
Based
Strategic
Goal
Staff
Capacity
Volunteer
Capacity
Financial
Sustainability

21. Indicators
Affect
Data
Collection
Robot Coding Class
After School Program

22. Option 1
Inspire a new generation of science
innovators
Indicator
An increase in children attending robot
coding classes
Data Tool
Report from registration database

23. Option 2
Inspire a new generation of science
innovators
Indicator
An increase in children who want to learn
more coding
Data Tool
Class evaluations

24. Option 3
Inspire a new generation of science
innovators
Indicator
An increase in children who register for
another science class
Data Tool
Customized report from CRM

25. How does this activity further the
mission of your organization?
What is the ideal result?
How might you measure the ideal
result?
Write an Indicator that is Specific,
Observable, Measurable, Directional
Create
Your Own
Indicator

26. Target
Outcome
90% of all offered
food is picked up
on average each
month
Connect Your Indicator to a Target Outcome
Indicator
An increase in
amount of
offered food that
is picked up

27. Collecting
the Data

28. Common
Data
Collection
Tools
Spreadsheets
Volunteer Management System
(e.g. Volgistics)
CRM System
Surveys
Sign-in sheets, attendance sheets

29. Factors
that Affect
Data
Collection
Time Does your tracking tool require too
much manipulation?
Expertise Has the person tracking data been
trained on the software and all its
features?
Financial
Investment
Does your organization need to
invest in a more robust VMS, CRM,
or other data platform?

30. Data Collection
Factors —
Multnomah
County Library
Relevance
Do we
need this
data, or is it
just nice to
know?
Level of
Urgency
How
important is
it that we
meet this
request?
Staff
Capacity
Is there a
staff person
or volunteer
who has the
time to track
the data?

31. If Your
Volunteers
are
Inputting
Data
 Capture some data
during intake process
with application
 Keep input expectations
simple

32. Your Turn
Goal: Inspire a new generation of science innovators
Indictor: An increase in children who say they want to learn more
coding
Target Outcome: 60% of children in robot
coding report wanting to learn more coding
Data Collection
Options
How much time will
it take to create a
data report?
Who tracks the
data?
How difficult will
it be to train the
data collector?
Requires a financial
investment?
Class evaluation –
paper form
30 minutes Admin 1 No
Evaluation on tablet
(free software)
20 minutes
(download data to
Excel, create chart)
Admin 2 No
Evaluation on tablet
(upgrade to paid
version)
2 minutes Admin 1 Yes

33. Data
Collection
Evaluation
Matrix
To Download:
Go to Collaborative Notes
http://po.st/volimpact-19NTC

34. Takeaways?
Questions?

35. Volunteer
Program
Annual
Report

36. Remember
Your
Evaluations
Session Evaluation
https://www.surveymonkey.c
om/r/19ntcsessions?c=171

37. Where to
Find Us
Elisa Kosarin, CVA
Twenty Hats
elisa@twentyhats.com
www.TwentyHats.com
Liza Dyer, CVA
Multnomah County Library
lizaj@multcolib.org
https://multcolib.org