Nifty Fifty Fridays

50 Metrics Every Nonprofit Should Track

Nonprofits should keep a close eye on a variety of metrics to ensure they are meeting their mission and staying sustainable. (Afterall, there’s more to running a successful nonprofit than just telling great stories 😊 ). Here are 50 important metrics to consider.

1. Donor Retention Rate: The percentage of donors who give again after their initial donation.

2. Donor Acquisition Rate: The rate at which you gain new donors.

3. Donor Growth: The change in the total number of donors from one period to the next.

4. Average Donation Size: The average amount of money given per donation.

5. Donation Frequency: How often the average donor makes a donation.

6. Cost Per Dollar Raised (CPDR): How much it costs to raise one dollar.

7. Return on Investment (ROI): The ratio of net profit to cost of investment.

8. Fundraising Efficiency Ratio: The amount spent on fundraising for every dollar raised.

9. Gift Growth: The change in the amount of total gifts from one period to the next.

10. Major Gift Ratio: The number of major gifts compared to the total number of gifts.

11. Overhead Ratio: The percentage of your budget spent on administrative and fundraising costs.

12. Program Expense Ratio: The percentage of your budget spent on your mission.

13. Current Ratio: A measure of your ability to pay your short-term obligations.

14. Quick Ratio: A measure of your immediate short-term liquidity.

15. Working Capital: Your organization's financial health in the short term.

16. Days Cash on Hand: How long you could survive with no new revenue.

17. Debt-to-Equity Ratio: The proportion of your total debt to your total equity.

18. Return on Assets (ROA): How efficient management is at using its assets to generate profit.

19. Grant Dependency: The proportion of your income that comes from grants.

20. Email Open Rate: The percentage of recipients who open your email.

21. Email Click-Through Rate: The percentage of email recipients who click on a link within an email.

22. Social Media Engagement: Likes, shares, comments, and other social media interactions.

23. Website Traffic: The number of visitors to your website.

24. Website Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page.

25. Volunteer Retention Rate: The percentage of volunteers who return to help again.

26. Volunteer Hour Value: The estimated value of volunteer hours based on the Independent Sector's estimated dollar value.

27. Volunteer Impact: The measured impact of volunteer efforts on your organization's mission.

28. Beneficiary Satisfaction: The measured satisfaction of the people who benefit from your organization's services.

29. Program Reach: The number of people who are affected by your programs.

30. Program Effectiveness: The measured impact of your programs on your mission.

31. Client Retention Rate: The percentage of clients who return to use your services again.

32. Client Acquisition Rate: The rate at which you gain new clients.

33. Net Promoter Score: The willingness of clients to recommend your organization to others.

34. Constituent Involvement: The number of constituents actively involved in your organization.

35. Board Member Fundraising Participation Rate: The percentage of board members actively participating in fundraising efforts.

36. Staff Turnover Rate: The rate at which staff members leave your organization.

37. Staff Satisfaction Rate: The level of satisfaction of your employees.

38. Staff Development and Training: The number of professional development opportunities provided to staff.

39. Number of Partnerships: The number of other organizations you partner with.

40. Sustainability Metrics: Measures related to your organization's environmental impact.

41. Diversity Metrics: Measures related to the diversity of your staff, board, and constituents.

42. In-Kind Contributions: The value of non-monetary donations.

43. Matching Gifts Revenue: The amount of money generated from matching gift programs.

44. Mobile Giving Statistics: Measures related to giving via mobile devices.

45. Recurring Giving Stats: The number of donors who give regularly on an automatic basis.

46. Donor-Advised Fund Revenue: The amount of money generated from donor-advised funds.

47. Event Attendance: The number of people who attend your fundraising events.

48. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Revenue: The amount of money generated from peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.

49. Legacy Gifts Pipeline: The number of potential legacy gifts in discussion.

50. Impact Metrics: Data showing the tangible impact your organization is having on the community it serves. These will be unique to your mission and could include things like number of animals saved, meals served, trees planted, etc.