In this week's episode of the Raimy and Bini Podcast, we talk about data! (Cue the Jon Stewart popcorn gif.)

Our fearless hosts dive into a topic many nonprofit professionals avoid: metrics. They explore different ways to approach evaluation and measurement, what’s worth tracking, and what’s totally overrated.

Bini and Raimy break it down from three angles: fundraising, program impact, and organizational health. They unpack the difference between outputs (butts in seats!) and outcomes (results that matter), and discuss the behavioral changes organizations should look for in the people they serve.

Plus, Bini discovers Raimy has never seen Star Wars (though he does know who Yoda is), they play a quick round of “Who said it: Yogi Berra or Alice in Wonderland?” and share some real-world examples of the best — and worst — measurement practices they’ve seen.

-----

Good of the Week:

• Raimy: Donald Miller of Business Made Simple (link)
• Bini: Riverside.fm (link)

-----

Chapters:

00:00 Audio Challenges and Learning Experiences

02:48 Insights from Donald Miller on Fundraising

05:18 The Role of Metrics in Nonprofit Success

12:12 Key Metrics for Fundraising Performance

18:42 Understanding Program Impact and Donor Retention

27:07 Real-World Applications of Metrics in Fundraising

34:33 Measuring Impact in Nonprofits

40:43 Outputs vs. Outcomes: Understanding Metrics

47:11 Leading vs. Lagging Indicators in Organizational Success

51:50 The Importance of Storytelling in Metrics

01:00:19 Overrated and Underrated Metrics in Nonprofits

01:12:28 Practical Steps for Measuring Impact