Funders want to see the impact. Agencies want to stay true to how they serve. The best answer honors both.
You don't start a nonprofit to fill out spreadsheets. A grassroots agency keeps its door easy to walk through. An early childhood program earns trust one family at a time. Those are real results, and funders want to see them too. The work is to show them well without losing what makes each agency who it is.
That is the work of our Agency Capacity Builder - Impact Measurement cohort. Each month, agencies funded by the Milton Township Community Mental Health Board (https://miltontownship.net/services/708_mental_health_board/index.php) sit at the same table and help each other answer the data questions that matter most to telling their impact story.
Each month, these leaders keep trying new things: A paper form tested side by side with a digital one. A dashboard so every staff member can see the whole picture. Listening sessions asking funders what they most want from data. Stories backed by numbers, and a board that understands why the numbers move. AI used to trace where every grant figure comes from.
This cohort, in partnership with Good Works Results LLC (https://www.goodworksresults.com), is building a stronger network of agencies across #DuPageCounty. Good Works Results LLC designs and facilitates peer forums where nonprofit leaders bring real challenges, learn from each other, try something new between sessions, and build the relationships that turn into partnerships. Learn more at https://www.goodworksresults.com/nonprofitforum
Thank you to NAMI DuPage (https://namidupage.org) for hosting us. Their Living Room, now open 24/7, was welcoming a guest as peer workers stepped in to help. In the office, volunteers worked alongside staff. And their two social enterprises, a print shop and a cafe, carry the mission.
Grateful to work alongside these agencies: CASE/Glenbard Early Childhood Collaborative (https://casedupage.com), Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center (https://gecrc.com), Glen Ellyn Youth and Family Counseling Services (https://geyfcs.org), KidsMatter (https://kidsmatter2us.org), Little Friends, Inc. (https://lilfriends.com), Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans, Inc. (https://mshv.org), NAMI DuPage (https://namidupage.org), Ray Graham Association (https://raygraham.org), World Relief Chicagoland (https://worldrelief.org/chicagoland), and Xilin Association (https://xilin.org).