The Foraker Group Dashboard
An important characteristic of a high performing nonprofit is the ability of decision-makers to make informed choices that move the organization toward its goals. At The Foraker Group, we use several tools to help both our staff and board reach mission-critical decisions, including our strategic plan, our annual operations plan, our budget, our theory of change, and our dashboard. All these tools are firmly rooted in The Foraker Group Nonprofit Sustainability Model©.
Because it is neither practical nor helpful to measure everything, we have undergone an extensive process to identify appropriate indicators for our dashboard measurements that coincide with our theory of change. At its highest level, our theory of change reflects that if our organization is strong and engaged then we can better support our nonprofit Partners, which in turn will strengthen the sector as a whole. 2010 is the baseline year for data collection unless otherwise noted.
We give special thanks to our Partners who fill out an assessment survey when you join and again each year when they renew your partnership. This information greatly assists us in staying relevant and allows our team to anticipate your future needs.
A helpful tool for Board and Staff: Each year our Partners fill out a survey through which you can track your sustainability. By monitoring certain indicators, decision-makers have criteria for your planning. The results also can assist your new board and staff to better understand your organization’s journey on the road of sustainability. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions in the survey – it is simply a snapshot in time of the organization’s internal structure. We use the survey for two purposes: (1) to track a few key measurements for all of our Partners, which can be found in our dashboard, and (2) to use as a tool for discussions within each organization about how we can best meet your goals. All survey results are confidential and we do not disclose the answers to anyone but your organization. At no time will we share individual survey results with others including the public, funders, other nonprofits, or the government.
To see more information about our Partners, click here.
To see more information on our economic study, click here.
| • | Indicators of a Strong and Engaged Foraker Group
These are based on Foraker’s theory of change. We judge our own strength and engagement based on the factors in our sustainability model. By monitoring specific indicators, our leadership can best track our performance and make necessary course corrections to assure we achieve our goals. |
| • | Indicators of Strong and Engaged Organizations
Strong and engaged nonprofits first require informed leaders who are aware of the concepts of sustainability. Then they are able to transfer that knowledge to enhance their organization’s ability to integrate the concepts into their overall planning and operations. Strong and engaged nonprofits are therefore applying the principles of nonprofit sustainability (focus, board/staff balance, unrestricted cash, and strategic partnerships) throughout the organization. Only when the organization is strong can its leaders strategically collaborate within and outside the sector to achieve maximum community impact. |
| • | Indicators of a Sustainable Sector
A sustainable sector relies on the other indicators to be in peak condition so that donors desire a relationship with the organization, current and future employees are drawn to the sector, and volunteers, donors, employees, and strategic partners feel a sense of trust and accountability in the sector. |
