Using Performance Measurement to Improve Sustainability

The Capstone team worked with Mercy Home for Children, a Brooklyn nonprofit serving the developmentally disabled, to enhance their ability to sustain current and obtain new program funding sources. The team first conducted individual interviews with organization program staff to determine current practices in performance measurement; identified current best practices and metrics through an extensive literature review; and created program logic models with indicators for comprehensive metrics. In addition, the team identified key recommendations to improve Mercy Home’s internal capacity to manage performance measurement of their current and future programs. A key recommendation included the investment and adoption of performance measurement software to create reports and dashboards specific to funders and stakeholders. These results will be used to aid Mercy Home in developing specific strategies to strengthen their approach to proving successful program performance history and impact.