Through Virginia Main Street’s (VMS) Firm Principles, Flexible Paths series, the Center of Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) is diving into their 7 Actionable Principles (7APs) to strengthen nonprofits and their relationships with funders. The 7APs offer a common language around key and proven practices, infused with values of equity and growth. The seventh and final principle relates to evaluating impact.

Actionable items include:

• We have clarity of purpose, and we demonstrate and communicate our unique value. We define what success looks like and we align our work guided by our mission, strategic thinking and planning;

• We measure program impact with the tools we have, centering the voices of those served, and we seek to improve based on feedback; and

• We disaggregate impact measures and service evaluation data by race to inform how we do our work.

“Doing good isn’t enough anymore. Many organizations are doing good. But, they’re not transforming the world or making profound change. We are devaluing the good work that nonprofits do to create a community safety net in search of transformation.”

Local nonprofit leader

Bringing It Back to Main Street

It’s paramount for local Main Street programs to rigorously evaluate their impact as it serves as a compass guiding their efforts towards meaningful revitalization and sustainable community development. Through systematic assessment, Main Street programs gain invaluable insights into the effectiveness of their strategies, allowing for informed decision-making and resource allocation. Moreover, evaluation fosters transparency and accountability, providing stakeholders with tangible evidence of progress and demonstrating the responsible stewardship of resources. By understanding their impact, Main Street programs can adapt and innovate, ensuring they remain responsive to the evolving needs of their communities while maximizing their contributions to economic growth, historic and cultural preservation, and community well-being.

At CNE, our vision is equitable, thriving, and just communities powered by healthy nonprofits, and our mission is to be a champion, learning partner, and advisor for Virginia nonprofits.