Moving from Outputs to Outcomes: A Review of the Evolution of Performance Measurement in the Human Service Nonprofit Sector

Abstract

Across the human service field, funders, executive directors, and program managers are faced with pressures to demonstrate effectiveness through measurable outcomes. Although performance measurement is often seen as an administrative burden imposed by funders to the detriment of direct service, it is increasingly accepted as crucial to achieving impact. Using a conceptual framework combining institutional theory and resource dependency theory, this article examines the field-level pressures facing human service organizations and reviews the research on nonprofit-level responses to these pressures. After an examination of key innovations in social measurement, including the theory of change logic model, outcome standardization projects, and trends in calculating social value, as well as lessons learned from data-driven social innovation efforts, future directions in research and practice are proposed.

Keywords:

• evaluation
• nonprofit accountability
• performance management
• outcome measurement
• neo-institutional theory