22: Shift from Monitoring to Learning | Corey Newhouse

In today’s episode of Creating Community for Good, Corey Newhouse. The shift from monitoring to learning is reshaping how organizations measure success. In this episode, Lindsay explores how moving beyond traditional evaluation into real-time learning and quality improvement helps organizations adapt, grow, and drive deeper impact.

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The Evolution of Evaluating Nonprofit Work Through Data

We’re seeing a shift from monitoring and evaluation, to learning and quality improvement. This reflects greater appreciation for the need for more dynamic and sophisticated understanding of root issues we aim to solve. Share on X

How do we know if an organization is worth supporting?

Today, impact monitoring and evaluation are paramount. Yet, it wasn’t always this way—and it won’t remain static much longer.

Determining philanthropic priorities has changed with each generation.

Going back to the Silent Generation (our oldest living or recently passed generation), nonprofits earned support because of their brand, celebrity endorsements, relevance to society, or scope of service. Loyalty, trust, and legacy mattered most.

Over the last decade, focus shifted toward impact monitoring and evaluation. Donors wanted proof of relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness. Return on investment and overhead costs were examined—sometimes obsessively.

While the intention behind this rigor was good, it caused many nonprofits to lose sight of the bigger picture. Organizations were forced to reallocate funds from programs to reporting.

Today, evaluation is evolving again. In this episode, Corey Newhouse—consultant, analytical powerhouse, and founder of Public Profit—explains the new shift from monitoring to learning.

Now, the central question is:
Are we addressing root issues with our work, and are we learning and improving over time?

Moving the Needle Towards Progress

Public Profit is a consultancy that helps mission-driven organizations collect the right data for smart decisions and meaningful reporting.

Corey gets to “learn for a living,” working with groups ranging from large philanthropies and sports associations to tiny arts and cultural nonprofits.

The real joy in her work comes from helping colleagues in the mission-driven world make decisions backed by data and insight.

Numbers are helpful for showing consistency and reach. However, numbers alone are terrible at explaining why something is happening.

Thus, measuring nonprofit impact demands more than metrics.

Qualitative data—like interviews, focus groups, and case studies—gives life and meaning to the numbers. It captures the richness of human experiences and shows how lives are truly improving.

Alignment via Discovery and Shared Learnings

One major challenge nonprofits face is program focus.

Should they keep investing in existing programs, or shift focus to a major donor’s new idea?

Nonprofits must stay open to innovation, but also disciplined. They must stay true to their mission, vision, and theory of change. (Reference Episode 1 with Aila Malek for more on theory of change.)

Combining statistical insights with learning-focused evaluation keeps nonprofits aligned—and keeps donors engaged. (Also see Episode 20 with Ryan Oliver on using a “Decision Tree” for aligned decision-making.)

Surveys, interviews, observations, and focus groups help nonprofits sense where they are succeeding and where they need to improve.

Listening actively—even when you can’t fulfill every request—is far better than no response at all. Accountability through learning, reflection, and improvement matters more than simply hitting a metric.

How to Get a Representative Sample

Collecting data starts with respecting participants’ time and contributions.

Be clear upfront:

How long will the survey or interview take?
What are the objectives?
What does the participant get in return?

Offer small tokens of appreciation: gift cards, swag, webinar access, or executive summaries.

Always collect actionable data. Avoid gathering information that only reinforces negative trends. Instead, gather insights that can show how to make things better.

Think about where your organization is today—and where you want to be tomorrow.

Critical Questions for Nonprofits to Reflect On

If you are a nonprofit leader, start by answering these questions:

Why are things different than we think they should be?
What are we trying to shift or change to get closer to our goals?
We are asking for investment so that we can…
We are doing this so that we will…
What is the difference between where we are today and where we want to go?
How do we know we are making progress?
What fundamental changes or lessons are we learning along the way?

By shifting from monitoring to learning, nonprofits move beyond compliance to meaningful growth.

Listen to the full episode to hear how you can use data to tell richer stories, track real impact, and move the needle toward lasting progre

Key Takeaways:

(05:53) – Why deep understanding about the complexity and challenges of root issues nonprofits seek to address is critical to understanding what qualitative and quantitative information should be collected to measure impact and performance.

(09:30) – Acknowledging a shift: Greater appreciation for how complex and challenging this work really is and the shift from monitoring and evaluation, to learning and quality improvement. That reflects greater appreciation for the need for more dynamic and sophisticated understanding of root issues we aim to solve.

(18:24) – Why quantitative data is better when it is backed by a qualitative understanding.

(21:48) – How to tell a story through numbers and have a more dynamic engagement with donors.

(30:16) – How to conduct better surveys that actually get filled out and techniques to make them more enjoyable and reciprocal for your subject.

(45:49) – The single most important piece of information that a nonprofit could share with their donors.