-
Dashboard Questions
The webinar on dashboards is starting in the coming hour! As one of the NFC moderators, I’ve reviewed and summarized the questions people submitted ahead of the webinar. They boil down to five main categories:
1. Choosing key performance indicators (KPIs). What are the most critical metrics? What do we benchmark against?
2. Balancing dashboard content. How do we keep it concise and informative? Can we bring qualitative information in?
3. Tools. What software can be used to create a dashboard? Are there free or easy options for very small organizations?
4. Competing purposes. Are dashboards mostly about financial metrics? Can communication and programming measures be brought in? Is the same dashboard used for executive decision and board governance? What about internal versus public-facing dashboard info?
5. Getting info for dashboards. How do you get regular info to flow into dashboards? What about program staff who are reluctant to collect and report necessary information?
-
1 Reply
-
For small organizations, a simple spreadsheet can work wonders as a dashboard. The key is to focus on the metrics that genuinely matter to the mission. Trying to track everything can quickly result in very little being tracked well. When staff are reluctant to use the system, showing them how the data can support their own programs may make a real difference. Start small, demonstrate the value, and build trust over time.
