3. Facing Out
Indianapolis Museum of Art
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4. Facing Out
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
5. Principles of Creation
1. Define your audience
• Internal or external
1. Ask what they need to know
2. Pick the right data – status or
progress
3. Automate as much as you can
4. Always display it in context
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6. DOs
Keep it to one page
Give context – graphs, trends, colors
Keep to high level information
Choose the right display
Color code to help interpret data
Highlight what is most important
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
7. DONTs
• Angst over fancy graphics
• Make something that
takes hours to update
• Has so much color you
can’t see straight
• Fudge the numbers
• Neglect context
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
9. Parts of your business: Program
Outcomes
• Balance between outputs and outcomes
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10. Parts of your business: Finance
• Working Capital
• Cash Balance to Current
Assets
• Days in Cash
• Unrestricted Net Assets
• Cash Flow
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
11. Parts of your business:
Development
• Overall Progress Year to Date
• Scorecard on a Donor
• Scorecard on an Event
• Retention
• Conversions
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
12. Parts of your business:
Development
http://www.slideshare.net/seattledrury/beyond-cash-fundraising-
management-dashboard
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
13. Parts of your business: Strategic
Planning
• Celebration or
management
• Timeline or objectives
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
14. Parts of your business: Social
Media
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
15. Parts of your business: Board
Governance
• Strategic Planning
• Financial Data
• Fundraising Data
• Tell the story that matters
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
16. Parts of your business: Board
Governance
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/121810825/sample-dashboard---Nonprofit-Risk-Management-Center
www.milstonconsulting.com | @sarahmilston | #focusrva
19. “Perfection is achieved, not when
there is nothing more to add, but
when there is nothing left to take
away. ”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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