Ep 14 I Your Metrics Are Lying to You (Here’s What Actually Matters)

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 Experiences02:48 Insights from Donald Miller on Fundraising05:18 The Role of Metrics in Nonprofit Success12:12 Key Metrics for Fundraising Performance18:42 Understanding Program Impact and Donor Retention27:07 Real-World Applications of Metrics in Fundraising34:33 Measuring Impact in Nonprofits40:43 Outputs vs. Outcomes: Understanding Metrics47:11 Leading vs. Lagging Indicators in Organizational Success51:50 The Importance of Storytelling in Metrics01:00:19 Overrated and Underrated Metrics in Nonprofits01:12:28 Practical Steps for Measuring Impact