Data is at the center of every nonprofit organization. Data is the way organizations can gauge their performance, service delivery, and overall impact on the community and on their clients. Above all else, data, along with technology usage, can guide an organization to high performance. High performance is the goal for every organization looking to create an impact on their community, deliver optimal service, and gain diverse funding. And high performance is only achievable by tracking and interpreting data in the best way possible.
But, not all organizations are able to use and interpret data in the exact same way and those differences can drastically change how service can be delivered. How advanced their data management practices are and the level of technology utilization an organization employs can make a world of difference between a passionate, yet reactive, and proactive, data-driven success.
At Social Solutions, our team has developed a Maturity Model which has stages that fit along this scale, along with comprehensive descriptions with pain points and characteristics of organizations at each level. Those descriptions include vital tips on how to master your current stage and ascend to the next level. Our Maturity Model breaks data and technology usage into four stages.
Stages of the Maturity Model
- Committed
- Counting Outputs
- Measuring Outcomes
- Managing Outcomes
Remember, the Maturity Model is a scale. Not every organization is going to rise and fall through these stages at the same rate. The goal is to always keep high performance in your sight as you’re planning your data journey. Once you reach high performance, you will be able to open your organization up to success and growth for the future.
Start Your Journey on the Maturity Model
Now that you know what the Maturity Model is, you need to understand each level in specific detail. Once you do that, you can start planning your journey to becoming a data-driven organization. If you think you’re ready to learn which stage of the Maturity Model your organization is on, take our Maturity Model quiz!
Tune back into our Maturity Model blog series to learn more about each stage of the model and to learn tips on how to get to the next level so your organization can achieve high performance!
