Key Performance Indicators: A Nonprofit Tool for Gauging Program Effectiveness
02-19-2025 1:00 PM EST.
In today's slow-growth economy and high-priced environment, nonprofit executives are under increased pressure to justify every dollar spent. When it comes to determining their program priorities, nonprofits often use zero-based budgeting. Donors, directors, grant makers, and others, however, are now demanding an alternative method for determining program priorities and measuring budget efficiency. As a result, nonprofit leaders are increasingly turning to key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs are simply ratios of financial data that can be used to tell a story when constructed properly. KPIs measure many aspects of nonprofit management. You can develop KPIs for measuring program efficiency, donor retention, volunteer recruitment, financial management, benchmarking against other nonprofits, and more. The information they use comes from the financial information you provide in your annual regulatory filings along with information from your daily business operations. You don't have to be a financial expert to develop KPIs for the areas you are responsible for or to understand what your KPIs tell you. They will help you determine how efficiently your programs are operating and help you develop realistic strategies for allocating your limited resources. Brad Lebowsky, a respected nonprofit consultant with more than 25 years' experience, explains the types of KPIs that can be developed, data sources available, and practical examples of how to use KPIs.
What You’ll Learn
Mr. Lebowsky will discuss the following topics during this important webinar:
- Shortcomings of zero-based budgeting to measure program performance
- An overview of key performance indicators
- The philosophy behind KPIs
- Nonprofit KPI examples for different nonprofit areas of operation and programs
- Data sources for KPIs
- How to calculate a KPI and interpret its meaning
- Measuring nonprofit program effectiveness and efficiency using KPI time series
- Benchmarking your performance against your peers with KPIs
- Assessing the results and adjusting program priorities accordingly
Who Should Attend:
- Executive Directors/CEOs
- Supervisors and managers
- Board of Directors
- CFO and controller
- Human resources
- Program Development
- Marketing
- Fundraising/Donor Development
- Operations
- In-house counsel
- MBA in nonprofit management specializing in finance and budgeting
- Over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management
- Podcast host of the NEA Podcast
- Expert in budgeting and finance, grant writing, strategic planning, board training, donor management, employee management, and volunteer retention