Numbers as Effectiveness - An Example

In looking at this week's blog entries and other assigned readings, I have found myself puzzled about the question of effectiveness. On one side, it makes sense to ask non-profits to use tools and numbers to demonstrate effectiveness - how many students did you tutor this year? what is the percentage of decrease in crime rates as the result of your programs? how many graduates of your job training program are now employed? These all seem like positive indicators of effectiveness. On the other hand, we have all experienced that much of non-profit effectiveness is related to relationships. Having worked in several youth-oriented programs, I am confident that numbers of campers who attend summer camp or number of kids in youth group hardly demonstrates my effectiveness as a worker for a non-profit. I could have a hundred kids at a camp and make no connections and no difference in their lives, or I could have 8 campers upon whose lives I make a significant impact.

In considering these two sides, I was reminded of a recent experience in New Orleans. One of the projects I have worked with in New Orleans is an HIV/AIDS prevention program. As part of its work, this program sends workers out into neighborhoods around the city to distribute condoms. In some experiences, I have found this has several positive effects - it educates the community about HIV/AIDS prevention, connects people with a resource for help, provides people with practical protection, and changes the taboo surrounding public discussion of HIV/AIDS. However, on one experience, the leader of the organization pushed myself and others to hand out thousands of condoms in a very short amount of time. Others who went out to participate had not been adequately briefed in the rules and norms of this activity, so the benefits of education and connection were lost. The leader was pushing this huge distribution because several grant applications for HIV/AIDS programs are looking for numbers of how many people you serve. So, in order to receive more funding, which the program desperately needs, the leader sought out numbers above all else, and in doing so, lost important opportunities to educate and connect individuals. So, while I do see numbers as being a piece of the puzzle, they do not tell the whole story and can also allow other important facets of work to get lost in the mix.