To get started with your benchmarking efforts, we invite you to learn from these highly successful organizations sharing their stories. Find many more case studies as well as useful information about performance measurement and reporting as part of our eLearning course, Measure What Matters.

League of American Orchestras

WhatWorks worked with the League of American Orchestras, ("the League") to develop a performance measurement framework, from September 2007 through April 2008. The 8-month project resulted in a performance dashboard, a communication tool that:

• Creates a clear link between the League's strategic plan and measurable indicators of progress toward their goals;
• Provides a visual understanding of the League's programs and services delivered to their membership;
• Connects department staff, the senior management team, and the board with a common articulation of success and the process for archieving it internally as well as externally.

Read the full Case Study

America Reads – Mississippi (ARM) has been working since 1998 to simultaneously address the massive inequalities in Mississippi public schools, the major teacher shortage in its state, and the enormous group of Mississippi adults seeking gainful employment.

 

ARM has been able to fulfill its needs of collecting important data and best tutoring strategies coming out of its program through the use of the America Learns Network. ARM now is able to share its best practices when tutors need them and can measure tutor impact in a single step- the completion of a survey form, journal, or reflection log. Through the process of collecting reporting and measurement data, ARM provides individualized support to its tutors. Staff can track, monitor and evaluate data which ARM needs to provide tutors with timely training, guidance, and support. Effective data collection and use of metrics have allowed this AmeriCorps Program to be the success that it is today.

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Search Developmental Center is dedicated to providing quality service alternatives which foster personal growth, self respect, and dignity for persons with disabilities and their families. 

Currently tracking 54 indicators in 9 categories, Search Developmental Center uses metrics to monitor outcomes that were once difficult to measure and held little utilization potential. After implementing a new information system, the Center can now target more of its resources at maintaining, collecting, and using meaningful indicators. It found that communicating the value of services, rather than just numbers, was most beneficial for the organization. 

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Public Allies

Public Allies, an organization which advances diverse young leaders to strengthen communities, nonprofits and civic participation. Through a 10 month long full-time program, it places diverse young adults in community organizations.

Public Allies evaluates its processes by looking at (1) logical things someone would want to know about whether the program is successful or not; (2) requirements of grants, including a federal grant that seeks similar data each year, and (3) lessons and best practices that were pulled from the field, especially those that are more evocative and high touch rather than evidential and numbers driven. Public Allies learned the importance of having clear systems for monitoring, discussing, and managing by their results. Online tools made it possible for the organization to analyze data that was otherwise stored, secured and efficient to aggregate, organize, and use. Public Allies also discovered the importance in having an alignment between program metrics and organizational metrics.