By: THOMAS CARLYLE

At a recent forum, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria was asked the ONE thing that children need to learn. His answer? Intellectual discipline. He defined it as the ability to wade through noise, discern the facts, analyze findings and form a point of view.

We echo this sentiment for the social sector. Nonprofits and changemakers need to know what to pay attention to — and what to ignore. That means being savvy consumers of data and market research (side note: today’s market research is getting sloppier and can be biased, so pay close attention to the source and the methodology before using it). And remember don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.

One of the best ways to bring “intellectual discipline” to your impact management process is to develop an evaluation plan.

You don’t have to be a data scientist or evaluator to do it. The most challenging part of impact measurement (a.k.a., impact management) is developing a theory of change and logic model, and deciding what to measure. Once that foundation is set, you just need a plan to collect, analyze, and communicate your results. The key is to “right-size” your evaluation planning to your organization’s capacity, collecting only what you need now and what you will use later for learning and continuous improvement.

An evaluation plan is simply a written document describing how you will monitor and evaluate your organization or program — and how you intend to use those results to inform decisions and drive progress.

3 Easy Steps to Build Your Evaluation Plan

Step 1: Determine WHY

Start by defining the purpose of the evaluation with key questions, such as:

Think back to program design – is there NEW research on your issue or program area?
Is the program new or ongoing?
Who is your audience (e.g., funders, donors, board, staff)?
What budget and resources do you have to implement the evaluation plan?
How will you use results (e.g., annual report, performance reviews, strategic decisions)?
What are your goals (e.g., descriptive, predictive, prescriptive)?
What type of evaluation fits best (e.g., impact, performance, formative, summative, developmental)?

Once you’ve clarified your goals, identify the performance indicators that best align with them.

Step 2: Determine WHAT to Evaluate

Center evaluation questions around four areas:

Planning & Implementation: How well did we plan?

Example: Who participated, and how did they find out about us?

Attainment of Objectives: How well did we meet objectives?

Example: How many people participated, and how often?

Participant Impact: How much and what kind of change occurred?

Example: What’s changed? Are participants satisfied? Consider both positive results and unintended consequences.

Community Impact: What difference did we make?

Example: What community goal did we contribute to, and what was the return on investment?

Once you clarify your evaluation questions, then decide how to collect the results, including demographic databases, participant surveys (including satisfaction and change in knowledge, attitude and behavior), participant focus groups/interviews, community impact surveys and cost/benefit analysis.

Step 3: Determine HOW and WHEN

Create a project plan matrix with the following columns:

Evaluation Question: What result or outcome are you interested in?
Indicator / Performance Measure: How will you measure it?
Method / Data Sources: Where will you get the data?
Frequency: How often will you track it?
Responsibility: Who’s accountable for collecting and analyzing it?
Reporting: Who needs to see the results?

Once you have collected the data based on your evaluation plan, analyze the results regularly and conduct quarterly reviews using dashboards to monitor and adjust as needed. Once the results are finalized, report them to the appropriate stakeholders.

Turning Data into Insight

The most important step comes after data collection — making meaning.

The media loves “big data,” but data is just an input. The real value comes from the insights it produces — insights that drive improvement, spark innovation and strengthen storytelling.

By “right-sizing” evaluation planning for your organization and measuring what matters, you can focus on insights that produce positive results for your clients and help tell your organization’s story.

We’d love to hear from you. How do you cut through the noise to measure what truly matters?