Outcomes (or, The Very Scary Part of an Application That you Leave to the End Because You Don't Know How to Answer)

Picture this: You are writing a grant. You have written a killer client-centered, data-supported needs statement. You have fit your amazing project description into the 1,000 characters or fewer you are given. You have even been able to answer the question about what you'll do when/if you aren't funded. 

And then, you run into this wall: "How do you measure your success?" 

Oh, buddy. 

Here's the bad news - this section is non-negotiable and you have to do your due diligence to make it good. It will take thoughtfulness and creativity, and oftentimes a good bit of teeth-pulling to get your programs to comply. 

The good news? A good outcome section can be the difference that gets you funded. Plus, once you've done it once you can usually just copy and paste. 

So, how DO you measure your success? Pro tip, if you said "we track the number of clients we have," you are not measuring your success. Well, not the success funders want to hear about. All client numbers measure is how many people your organization serves. It doesn't measure how well you serve them, nor how much of a difference you're making in their lives. 

Which isn't to say tracking the numbers you serve isn't important--it's critical! It just isn't an outcome (it's an output). Think of it like a school lunch program - it's awesome if you serve 500 kids a day, but it doesn't count for much if you aren't feeding them nutritious meals and they aren't eating what you're serving them. 

Before you panic, do this - remember your vision? Describe it. Paint the picture. Say more. What does it mean for the people you serve? How will their lives be different? What about the community you're in - will it be better because your clients are better served? 

Using the school lunch example: Students have access to nutritious meals every day. No child goes hungry at school for lack of access to food. Kids look forward to eating healthy foods. 

Got it? Congratulations! You have just described what success looks like, also known as your impact. 

Now, how do you know you have achieved those successes? What changes will you see in your clients and community? How can you tell? How can you count the change? 

See? Simple. 

Simple ... but not easy. That's because you need to take this seriously. You need to think about what you can and can't track. Because if you tell a funder you can measure it, they will expect you to measure it. And sometimes programs are not used to thinking in outcomes, which makes it hard to get them to tell you how they know they are making a difference and feel like you saying "but how do you know" is an insult to their work and frankly not worth their time.

Or worse, they oversell their impact and you are stuck with measures that are unrealistic (I don't care how amazing you are, 100% is never an attainable goal. If you are at 100%, you need to try harder.) 

Here are some outcomes, again using the school lunch example: 

• Each school lunch contains at least one item from each of the five basic food groups and contain no more than 10% processed sugar products. (Students have access to nutritious meals) 
• Students receive meals regardless of their account balance and families who need financial assistance are able to access anonymous lunch scholarships. (No child goes hungry at school)
• 25% of meals are from a student-informed menu, prepared meals are plated and served in an appealing manner. (Kids look forward to eating healthy foods)

 
Note that all these outcomes are not just measurable, but they are specific and strategic. 

I know that the outcomes question is hard and daunting. But if you start thinking about it now, you won't be coming up with measures at the last minute. 

If you need help with this step, call me. I like outcomes. 

---