As described in an earlier blog post, the Common Foundations provide guidance for how to measure impact based around five essential practices. They are part of the Common Approach to Impact Measurement, a community-driven, evolving standard for impact measurement in Canada. The Common Approach has a quick guide about these practices as well as a self-assessment that you can complete to see if you if your organization meets the minimum standard. If you do, they invite you to say that you are, which you can do by adding the Common Approach logo to your website and reports. For more information and to take the self assessment, visit the Common Foundations page on the new CommonApproach.org website.

Tools like Survey Monkey and Fluid Survey are low or no-cost, easy to use and accessible to anyone with e-mail.   But this also means there are many more surveys out there as well as other competing demands on people’s attention.   It is more important than ever, to design an effective survey that yields data that you can act on.  Here are some design tips to help: