Capturing Data

Once upon a time, a level headed grant-writer worked night and day to help his organization receive the funding they needed for its programs. He wrote strong needs statements, helped create reasonable goals and objectives, and a nice evaluation plan. Everything was perfect. The generous funders delightfully gave their grant dollars to help the wonderful people he described in his proposals.

The level headed grant-writer smugly put his feet up on his desk and crossed his arms behind his head feeling very satisfied with himself. He knew all was well in the world. As soon as that thought flashed through his mind, he remembered that the work had only just begun. He knew that now they would have to do what they said they would do and report their progress at appropriate intervals.

Reporting requirements vary from funder to funder, but all funders will want to hear from you about the progress you are making. They want to make sure they have invested wisely. Some funders want an annual report, while others require a monthly status update. Make sure you understand what your funder requires, and that you can fulfill their reporting expectations before you cash their check.

Determine what data is the most necessary to collect as you move forward for both reporting requirements and effectively evaluating the outcomes of your program.

It is prudent to collect appropriate data at regular intervals. If you run a homeless shelter, count the number of meals served daily as well the number of occupied beds each night. Tabulate the totals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

If possible, try to have the program officer fill out a brief one page monthly report to keep you informed about the progress of the program. Do not wait until a week before the final report is due to a funder to look at your data. You cannot create data for an entire year for a report. This will make you and your staff very grumpy, and your funder will see right through it. In addition, you want to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your program on a consistent basis so that you can make adjustments as needed. Consistent qualitative and quantitative data collection will help you to evaluate your activities and outcomes in a fair, honest manner.