ColemanWick, LLC.

NPO no longer stands for “Not Pursuing Outcomes”

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:11:31 +0000

Data doesn’t care whether you’re for profit or not-for-profit.

A recent talk at Cleveland’s City Club by Mario Morino was a positive sign that NPOs are starting to understand the importance and value of tracking and analyzing data.

Morino, a Cleveland-born philanthropist whose paperback “Leap of Reason” garnered ample buzz last year, is frustrated at how so many nonprofits don’t strive to fully grasp all the meanings within their results. He challenges organizations to begin using data, even reinventing themselves if appropriate.

Mario Morino speaking at The City Club of Cleveland

Morino’s message is for the funders as much as it is for the NPOs. “At a minimum funders should be supporting efforts to help nonprofits: a) track the outcomes of those served; (b) undertake at least basic analysis of this information; and (c) identify how they can use the information to learn and improve their programs over time”, he says.

To name just one example, after reading Morino’s book the Saint Luke’s Foundation, in an unprecedented move, decided that non-board members with expertise in key areas will be appointed to committees, presumably offering their objective, real-world observations and input.

In the case of ColemanWick LLC, which already provides a suite of services around these ideas, Morino is preaching to the choir. But overall, the size of the choir seems to be growing—good news for us, even better news for Cleveland organizations that are open to his message…they can establish best practices for attracting funding for, and implementing, market research for NPOs.

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Cleveland isn’t booming, but it’s a start

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:24:35 +0000

The Numbers Are In–And They’re Good

Make no mistake on the lake, things are changing around Cleveland. The fact that the April issue of Details Magazine featured an article entitled THE RUST BELT REVIVAL: WHAT’S HAPPENING IN CLEVELAND, OHIO, is a very good sign. The piece featured urban entrepreneurs who have carved their own career paths by opening interesting businesses, restaurants and bars. Exactly what constitutes a “revival” in the Midwest is open to plenty of interpretation, but there’s no question that there are many signs of life popping up in Cleveland, born of an entrepreneurial spirit and at times, hometown pride.

Ohio City’s The West Side Market

You’ve heard about brain drain – how for years graduates have been leaving NE Ohio in droves. Well, we need a new mantra, like The learned have returned. (Well, catchier than that.)

Because ColemanWick, LLC. has come up with encouraging urban market research: Young adults are returning to Cleveland. For instance, between the years of 2000 and 2010, the population of people aged 18-34 living in Ohio City increased by a hefty 16%.A number perhaps too small to be called a rebirth, but which inarguably represents a certain level of revitalization.

Businesses should be up on this trend, and others like it down the road, continually tracking changes in the demographics and tastes of their consumers.

In this way they can avoid joining the long list of companies who each year waste untold amounts of money, or even go belly up, from Out-of-the-loop-itis.

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