Nonprofit Outcome Measurement Software for Promise Neighborhoods

If our children are not given the opportunity to succeed, then our schools will not thrive.  And, if our schools do not flourish, then our neighborhoods will not succeed.  And, if our neighborhoods are not able to prosper, then our communities, cities, states and nation are in peril of not being adequately prepared to compete in the global marketplace.  This cycle has become self-perpetuating and epidemic as communities and cities across our country have succumbed to unsustainable growth models and entire populations have become marginalized.

To combat this problem, the U.S. Department of Education announced the Promise Neighborhood initiative “to create plans to provide cradle-to-career services that improve the educational achievement and healthy development of children” in our most distressed communities.

While there are many pieces to be put together to effectively create a burgeoning Promise Neighborhood, one of the key elements is the integration of a dynamic, data-driven system to collect, analyze and aggregate content rich information.  For Promise Neighborhoods to succeed, they require a technology that can assimilate data from a plethora of disparate external sources and drive the continuum of support needed to transform entire neighborhoods.

Impact Measurement to Guide Promise Neighborhood Planning

TraxSolutions®, our trusted and proven flagship nonprofit management software solution, allows Promise Neighborhoods to identify and measure trends and conduct baseline and impact assessments. As a result, they will be better equipped to formulate an actionable strategy that will leave a positive, lasting and measurable impact on the individuals, neighborhoods and communities they serve. Promise Neighborhoods can seamlessly aggregate longitudinal data horizontally (between local or community-based sites) and vertically (at the city, state, regional and national level).

TraxSolutions provides Promise Neighborhoods with the ability to:
 

  • Easily identify at-risk children and youth
  • Identify and target those who are lacking academic and social support
  • Track cohorts and evaluate impact
  • Track a program’s efficacy over time
  • Establish targets for future performance
  • Better direct resource allocation
  • Maintain accuracy and accountability
  • Align resources with individual need
  • Know “what works” and establish positive community change based on best practices

Data derived from TraxSolutions allows Promise Neighborhoods to identify opportunities to drive change, obtain feedback for improvements and demonstrate actionable results.   We understand the necessity of meeting people where they are, and we are dedicated to equipping and supporting Promise Neighborhoods with the tools they need to help create a better future.  In addition, our solutions help raise the performance of a Promise Neighborhood by allowing them to gain greater insight to powerful data through sophisticated, yet user-friendly analysis and reporting tools, opening new and exciting pathways to opportunity and becoming a formidable vehicle for change.

Outcome Measurement and Community Solutions

Our data-driven, results-oriented software solutions are the reason why we work closely with so many of the most-respected nonprofit organizations and cities throughout the U.S. and Canada.  By measuring performance and determining outcomes from cradle-to-career, we enable leaders to better comprehend the needs, dynamics and challenges of their own neighborhoods and communities so that they can make more informed decisions regarding public policies.  Only through data-driven results can long-term comprehensive change be achieved.

Much more than just a software company, nFocus Solutions also maintains partnerships with national research organizations like ChildTrends, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that studies children at all stages of development, and the Search Institute,  an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization committed to helping create healthy communities for every young person.  These two organizations help us provide our clients with access to the brightest minds and most effective practices in the field today, assuring your success.

nFocus Solutions has successfully accomplished multiple projects of similar scope and size to those undertaken by Promise Neighborhoods. Currently nFocus Solutions is developing and delivering community-wide data management systems in multiple cities and regions including:

  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Houston, Texas (Gulfton Promise Neighborhood)
  • Northwest Indiana
  • Omaha, Nebraska
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Winston Salem, North Carolina

Hear more about how we are working with the Gulfton Promise Neighborhood in Houston

Time is of the essence, because we will not get a second bite of this apple.  Only through data-driven results can we drive systemic, dynamic and positive change that will save generations of all ages from socio-economic marginalization, and an entire nation from being left behind.  We must act now.

  • We chose nFocus because of its success in other communities. They will give our Promise Neighborhood project the capacity to link our data systems and track student progress over time.

    Ann Hilbig
    Vice President, Programming Planning and Evaluation
    Neighborhood Centers, Inc.
    Houston, Texas