In this age of data visualization, it’s useful to have a few good dashboards in your nonprofit’s toolbox!

Dashboards can help boards and staff of nonprofits organize and understand large amounts of data. Dashboards can also be shared with donors and grantmakers to help familiarize them with a nonprofit’s programs or finances.

Some dashboards illustrate performance over time, such as numbers of people served; others offer a snap shot view of a situation, such as the current status of a nonprofit’s cash flow. Nonprofit staff can use dashboards to monitor a nonprofit’s social media influence, or to show board members financial indicators, or to illustrate how much progress has been made towards various goals. An effective dashboard illustrates rather than tells the audience about needed actions or decisions. The uses are varied, and the results are usually an “ah ha!” moment.

Measuring success with dashboards

A dashboard can chart the progress made towards achieving specific goals, and also illustrate who is accountable, making them terrific tools for performance measurement.

Examples of dashboards

Send us an example of how your nonprofit uses dashboards and we’ll feature it right here!

Dashboard Tools

• Dashboard Junkies for Google Analytics
• The Dash free dashboard tool
• Library of sample dashboard indicators (CompassPoint)

Resources About Dashboards

• Show me your nonprofit dashboard (Beth’s Blog)
• Dashboards for boards (Blue Avocado)
• Driving without a dashboard? (Givewell)
• Example of dashboards integrated into Powerpoint presentations (Year Up)
• Beyond Dashboards: Business Intelligence Tools for Program Analysis and Reporting (Idealware)
• What Gauges Belong on Your Dashboard? (Nonprofits Assistance Fund; also includes samples)
• Minding the Gap with dashboards (this post includes a link to template dashboards) (Social Impact Architects)