Funders
The current economic environment and lack of relevant data on nonprofit performance has caused funders to reevaluate how they invest. Conversations among nonprofit leaders never stray far from the topics of money and sustainability, while funders are increasingly focused on discussions that surround results. And just as nonprofits look for ways to secure stable sources of funding, funders want to invest in organizations that are driving change and creating pathways to opportunity in the communities they serve.
The relationship between nonprofits and funders should be symbiotic, but instead it has become gradually more divergent because financial supporters are struggling to comprehend the impact their investment dollars are having on a community. While nonprofits have traditionally been unable to clearly articulate the value of their community-based initiatives, funders are not sure their investments are flowing to the areas where it will do the most good. The bottom line is funders require complete transparency of data and tangible results that measure value through community impact. Funders, like most investors, want to see performance.
For almost two decades, nFocus Solutions has been a trusted, strategic partner and technology provider to community foundations, the United Way, public trusts and other community-change agents by helping them respond to the dual demands of effectiveness and accountability.
Our solution is bridging the gap between mission and impact® by providing funders with the results they require to better evaluate their investment over time, restoring the harmonious relationship between funders and nonprofits. While each entity operates independently, they both share a common “need to know” of the impact they are having in a community.
To achieve these insights, nFocus Solutions gives funders web-based analytical tools that accurately track performance and measure outcomes directly related to program effectiveness. Results derived from our software allow funders to better understand how their investment is shaping positive solutions in the communities and cities in which they invest. Baseline and impact assessments can be created to measure impact over time, and data can be aggregated, shared and compared with other communities, cities and regions to identify systemic progress, enhance the quality of life and seize the opportunity to drive positive and dynamic change.
The term “at risk” once only applied to children in impoverished neighborhoods with substandard schools and overwhelming challenges impeding their opportunity for success. Today, the term has much broader implications as the current economic downturn has put millions of Americans of all ages “at risk.” Now, more than ever before, we need to maximize the impact of our nonprofits. The alternative is a sea of lost generations, unable to sustain a quality livelihood and ill-prepared to compete in the global marketplace.
In the for-profit world, no prudent investor would ever invest his or her money into a company without researching its productivity and propensity for success. In the nonprofit world, funders now stress the need for hard results from nonprofits not just to evaluate and ascertain the value of their investment, but also to stimulate performance and achieve meaningful results.