An Ode to Outputs
In the glitzy world of evaluation, it’s easy to see that your outcomes steal the show. Funders, board members, and staff alike love your shimmering outcome data that highlight the difference your work makes in the world.
But what about those oft overlooked outputs?
Organizational outputs lead you to faithfully tell the story of your day-to-day actions, from enrollment and attendance data to network development and social media hits. They describe what you get from your programs, or what your programs deliver or produce. Your outputs are essential indicators that help you define your work and monitor your program implementation and effectiveness.
When your outputs are systematically collected and reported, they can serve as foundational metrics for your organization. In fact, your outputs alone can take you quite far in your ability to tell the story of the important work you do each day.
For those of you looking to boost your collection of organizational outputs this year, check out 10 key outputs that our partners often include in evaluation reporting:
Enrollment data
Attendance data
Satisfaction data
Program quality and fidelity data
Partner/network engagement data
Referrals made
Social media hits tracked
Materials distributed
Grants received or awarded
Volunteer hours completed
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we are giving a little extra love to our outputs. So grab some chocolate and enjoy an ode to outputs, the unsung heroes of our evaluation plans.
