Part 5 - Measuring Success
TOOLS
Evaluation can involve both formal and informal methods (e.g. written reports and verbal briefings such as focus groups). Resources such as Survey Monkey or other online survey tools can make things easier. Using the same tools and questions at set intervals will allow you to track trends.
Feedback at or after events can be helpful by soliciting descriptive insights or impressions, although it may not make clear whether people applied what they learned and whether behaviour changed. Surveys periodically administered after events can show you whether behaviour or attitudes are changing over time, but they are not always completed, and sometimes, frankly, people give you the answer they think you want.
A good habit is to use at least two different ways to get at your measurements.
Here’s a simple grid that shows what you could track, the source of the information and what tool you could use.
Potential measures include:
| Quantitative Measurement |
Source/Tool |
| Employee/Volunteer Demographics |
Self-Identification Survey |
| Recruitment, Retention, Advancement, and Attrition |
Human Resource Records |
| Diversity Training for Employees and Board Members |
Records |
| Audience Demographics |
Self-Identification Survey |
| Community demographics |
Statistics, Studies |
| Partnerships with Community Organizations |
Comapny Reports |
| Board Diversity |
Skills Grid |
| Qualitative Measurement |
Source/Tool |
| Cultural Competnecy Skills |
Skills Grid |
| Employee Engagement |
Survey, Interview |
| Impact of Diversity Training on Attitudes and Behaviours |
Training feedback, Surveys, Observation |
| Audience Satisfaction |
Survey, Focus Group |
| Community Engagement |
Survey, Interviews |
| Partnership Satisfaction |
Surevey, Feedback, Interviews |
| Board Engagement |
Survey, Interviews |
Dig Deeper
Inclusion: Making the Case in Arts and Culture – WorkInCulture’s eLearning Modules take you through simple steps for measurement planning and techniques
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion – diversity toolkit includes section on measurement
Board Diversity Training: A Toolkit - Comprehensive document from Pillar Non-Profit Network; include self-assessment quizzes, board priority checklist, and board matrix from this well known London Ontario-based non-profit
Diversity in Governance – A toolkit for non-profit boards; considers such things as board composition matrix, mentoring roadmap, interview questions, board engagement survey; developed by Maytree Foundation.
Washington State HR – Measuring Diversity - Although designed for larger organizations, this list offers a clear set of items to measure.
Consider the following
We have:
□ Developed SMART goals with clear targets, timelines and measurement factors
□ Considered the benefits (financial, internal, social or reputational) of our initiatives in terms of return on investment
□ Clarified who has to know the information
□ Determined the information to know, both quantitative and qualitative
□ Clarified the source of the information, how it is being collected and when