Every nonprofit needs a theory of change for its technology. . .and for its evaluation process

I’ve spent a lot of my professional life (thus far) thinking about the missions of nonprofit organizations, and about information/communication technologies for nonprofits.

In the past few years, it’s become fashionable to talk about the importance of a “theory of change” for nonprofits.  This is merely a way of underlining the importance of making an explicit statement about the causal relationship between what a nonprofit organization does and the impact that it has promised to deliver.  I applaud this!  It’s crucial to say, “if we take all of the following resources, and do all of the following actions, then we will get all of the following results.”  An organization that lacks the capacity to marshal those resources and take those actions needs to reconsider, because it is on track to fail. If its capacity is not aligned with its commitment, it should acquire the resources or change its commitment to results.  Of course, it some cases, it will merely need to revise its theory of change.  In any case, it will have to work backward from its mission, and understand how each component contributes to achieving it.

This kind of thinking has lead to a lot of conversations (and a lot of anxiety) in the nonprofit sector about performance measurement, outcomes management, evaluation, and impact assessment.

I’d love to have some of this conversation focus on the information/communication technologies that nonprofit organizations are using.  In other word, it’s time to be explicit about a theory of change that explains in detail how every component of the technology an organization uses contributes (directly or indirectly) to its ability to deliver a specific kind of social, cultural, or environmental impact.

Likewise, I’d love to have the conversation address the ways in which the efforts of a nonprofit organization’s performance measurement, outcomes management, evaluation, or impact assessment team contributes (directly or indirectly) to its ability to deliver the kind of impact that it promised its stakeholders.

 

 

TNB Labs has launched, and its first priority is data services for nonprofits!

 

Greg Palmer and I are very pleased to announce the launch of TNB Labs, a company dedicated to providing nonprofit organizations with high quality data services and program management.  TNB Labs works with organizations to audit and assess data management methodology, develop and implement data standards, and provide structural oversight through data governance to organizations of all sizes.

Through our partnership with Tech Networks of Boston, we have had a unique opportunity to listen to hundreds of stakeholders at TNB’s Roundtables uncover a need to elevate the role of data in nonprofit organizations.  TNB Labs is focused on improving the capacity of nonprofit organizations at every stage of the outcome management process.

The immediate priorities of TNB Labs are:

1) Providing Master Data Management (MDM) services to nonprofit organizations in support of their missions, focusing on data governance, data quality, data modeling, data visualizations, and program evaluation.

2) Providing workforce program management for Desktop Support Technicians (DST), Data Support Analysts (DSA), and Data Analytics/Data Evaluation entry level professionals.

3) Managing the TNB Roundtable series, which is now jointly owned by Tech Networks of Boston and TNB Labs.

TNB Labs is led by Greg Palmer (chief executive officer), and Deborah Elizabeth Finn (chief strategic officer).  The other co-founders are Bob Master (former CEO of Commonwealth Care Alliance) and Susan Labandibar (founder of Tech Networks of Boston).

TNB Labs is here to solve your problems.  Please contact us with any questions and comments you have about TNB Labs, or to learn more about data management or program management services that might be helpful to your organization.

Best regards from Deborah and Greg

Greg Palmer
gpalmer@tnblabs.org
508.861.4535

Deborah Elizabeth Finn
definn@tnblabs.org
617.504.8188

TNB Labs, LLC
PO Box 2073
Framingham, MA 01703
www.tnblabs.org

 

 

NPO Connect: Not just a skill sharing tool, but an important proof of concept

NPO Connect is based on a very strong premise:  nearly every nonprofit professional has skills to share with others in the sector.  When it comes to professional development, we can look to our colleagues.  We can offer ourselves as mentors, and we can learn from mentors within our own ranks.   A 45-year old social worker can receive guidance from a 66-year old executive director about navigating organizational politics, while learning about social media from a 23-year old administrative assistant, and offering case management insights to a 37-year old colleague.  But how are all those nonprofit professionals to find each other, and how will they structure their mentorship agreements?  NPO Connect provides an online tool that satisfies many of those needs.

True: confession: as much as I appreciate the straightforward goal of NPO Connect, my strongest response is not “W00T! A model for facilitating effective mentorship!” My response is “W00T! A proof of concept that online tools can be used in our sector to match all kinds of under-utilized resources with unmet needs!“

Think about it.  The same web-based tool that matches nonprofit mentors with colleagues who need coaching can also match…

• volunteers with nonprofits that need them
• gifts in kind with projects that need them
• donors with organizations that share their goals
• professionals with special expertise (such as accountants, attorneys, and health care providers) with programs that need advice
• organizational partners for nonprofits that are seeking to collaborate
• businesses that have empty office space that they’d like to offer for free with nonprofits in the community
• job seekers with hiring managers

…and so on.

Of course, some of these online tools already exist, and they do a very good job.  Just look at the Social Actions web site, and the impressive list of their partners.

However, we lack an online tool that knits all of these things together.  We need a single login that will take us to a password-protected online work sheet or wish list, so that we can bring together all the components needed to succeed in a project, and so that we can invite stakeholders and collaborators in to pledge various kinds of resources.

Thanks to the NPO Connect team, it’s clear that the technological challenge of using online tools to match needs and resources can be met. But other elements are needed:  funding, a strong commitment to collaboration in building this, and the right kind of outreach to convince potential users to populate the online tool with up to date information about needs and resources.  Oddly enough, this online tool agenda presents, in itself, a challenge to match needs and resource.

I often think about a conversation that I had with my friend Quintus Jett a few years ago.  I can’t remember his exact words, but it was along these lines:  I’m convinced that most of the social problems in this world can be solved by getting the right resources to the right people in the right places at the right time…and people like me, who know how to do that, should be sharing that knowledge with the nonprofit sector.  Of course, most of us who care about nonprofits don’t have degrees in computer science, industrial engineering, and organizational theory – however, many skills are needed, and no one (not even Quintus!) can achieve this single-handedly.  I’d like to encourage you to think about what capacities and assets you can bring to the effort to meet needs and achieve goals in the nonprofit sector more effectively.