UpMetrics – an impact measurement and management software company that helps mission-driven organizations harness the data needed to drive social and environmental change – today announced that it is working with a cohort of three Chicagoland foundations to help their non-profit grantees collect, analyze, and report on data that measures the impact of their social programs.
The Foglia Family Foundation, IMC Chicago Charitable Foundation, and Christopher Family Foundation collectively sponsor 25 non-profit grantees which offer sports-based youth development, workforce development, youth development, literacy, and other social initiatives. Through its cohort program model, UpMetrics provides the grantees of these three foundations with access to its impact analytics and storytelling platform, as well as professional services.
To better assess their work together, UpMetrics surveyed grantees that have leveraged UpMetrics’ services for a period of eight months or longer. They found nearly all grantees agreed that the UpMetrics platform helped their organizations better define, measure and understand their impact, and that the impact data helped grantees better-tell their impact story. Without access to UpMetrics’ platform and services, grantees noted that it would be harder to consolidate data and that they would likely not have the capacity to organize and generate the data needed to promote and fund programs.
“Our cohort program presents a new approach to philanthropy as we look to better connect grantmakers and grantees through information sharing and relationship building. By leveraging technology and community, cohort participants can collaboratively learn and measure toward meaningful and accelerated social change in the Chicago region,” explains Drew Payne, CEO, UpMetrics.
“The UpMetrics cohort model in Chicago has the largest number of participating grantees, the highest level of engagement from funder and non-profits, and the highest diversity of service areas. Chicago also has the longest-standing UpMetrics office outside of our San Francisco HQ – I’m proud of how it’s grown in the last 7 years,” Payne continues.
The UpMetrics program is designed for cohorts to: cultivate data-driven communities that collaborate and learn together toward success across geographies, issue areas, and key stakeholders; and enable multi-level goal tracking by measuring success metrics and KPIs across nonprofit, funder, and community levels. They feel empowered to use both quantitative and qualitative data to learn, improve, and effectively tell their stories.
“UpMetrics has given us the tools we need to better understand our clients and ensure that our programs are running efficiently and having the desired impact,” says Ann Schirk from Foglia Family Foundation. “The opportunity to make an immediate impact for these fantastic organizations by providing them with tools, and also help them become more financially stable in the long run, was very exciting to our team. We greatly value the multi-year partnership we have had with UpMetrics and the grantees. It allows us to reach more organizations and support them in an impact measurement capacity building lens all tied to our foundation’s approach to trust-based philanthropy. “
UpMetrics combines organizational development, planned services, and community building programs designed to equip each cohort with organizational development via UpAcademy sessions and data readiness best practices. It also offers planned services that include custom KPI development, dashboard building and maintenance, and impact tracking; as well as community building through 1:1 team sessions and engagement opportunities with cohorts and the UpMetrics community.
“With UpMetrics, our grantees have gained insight into the quality of their own work,” says Clare Butterfield at Christopher Family Foundation. “It’s a tool that has helped them to see the detail of the impact they are making in the lives of the people they serve. It has helped our grantees see their own stories and tell them better than they could before.”
A recent report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy stated that only 30 percent of nonprofit leaders reported receiving capacity building support in their most recent fiscal year. Those that did receive capacity building support found it very or extremely helpful in strengthening their organizations.
“UpMetrics has been an invaluable partner for impact data capacity-building among our grantees here in the Chicago area,” says Lisa Wiersma at IMC. “By helping them with goals, progress, and other reporting, UpMetrics fostered better program communication, collaboration, and growth through shared learnings.”
To learn more about UpMetrics’ cohort program visit https://upmetrics.com/cohorts
About UpMetrics
UpMetrics is the leading impact measurement platform for mission-driven organizations. By combining purpose-built technology with expert services and support, UpMetrics is elevating the way the impact ecosystem generates, analyzes, and leverages data to drive accelerated social and environmental change. To learn more about UpMetrics, please visit https://www.upmetrics.com.
