Research at Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois Emily Keilback, M.A., CFRE Chief Advancement Officer

GSNI serves 17,000 girls and 5,000 volunteers in 16 northern IL counties 5 offices and 6 retail stores, 5 camp properties 75 staff members, $5.5M budget Research falls under “advancement”, which also includes fundraising and organizational strategy Nationally, there are 112 Girl Scout Councils and an international organization for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides abroad National Girl Scout Research Institute provides a framework and resources for research Girl Scouts Overview

Outcomes data collected directly from girls via online surveys Measure of impact on clients Program evaluations for specific initiatives via on-site paper surveys Measure of impact on clients, client satisfaction and program effectiveness Parent, volunteer, alumni, and donor data on customer service, training, use of programs and facilities via online surveys Measure of customer satisfaction, training effectiveness, net promoter scores Market research with non-customers/clients Measure of brand impact and awareness, demographic segmentation Qualitative and anecdotal data at “Town Halls”, focus groups, and programs/trainings Client and customer testimonials Types of Data Collected

How this Data is Used  Strategic planning, benchmarking and tracking increases/decreases year over year  Program and performance evaluation  Improving services to clients and customers (parents/volunteers/girls)  Providing special services or attention to a particular topic or area  Deciding which programs and trainings to implement and where  Deciding whether or not to continue a particular service/program/item  Marketing, and improving communications tools  Fundraising and donor stewardship, grant writing, marketing and communications

Grant Writing: Integrating Research into Program design

Using research in grant-funded projects Data to use in grant writing:  National, state, and community research supports the narrative/community need  Program-specific data should be the reported outcomes/impact  Use Logic Models to help your program team see the connection between inputs, outputs, and outcomes  Use Project-specific pre-and post surveys, observation, and interviews to report on funded projects  Third –party data makes an even stronger case than self- reported data (data from the people/organizations witnessing change in your clients)  Benchmark your own program data against local, state, or national data whenever possible

Sharing the Message Outcomes-driven fundraising and marketing

Sharing the Message: Parents, Community, Donors  Impact Reports – also used as a donor solicitation piece  Outcomes/benefits used in recruitment pieces (flyers, brochures, etc.)  Quotes/stats incorporated into marketing materials, solicitation letters, website, social media, blogs, etc.  Infographics on social media  Research findings used a launching point for discussions with board members and major donor societies  Research findings incorporated into donor newsletters  Grants include outcome measurements and other survey data

Impact Report  Includes all outcome measurements for girls (clients).  Has stories and pictures that elaborate the impact of each outcome  Used as:  Donor stewardship  Donor and prospect solicitation  Recruit key stakeholders  Website and social media to communicate the value of our program

Impact Report, cont. Format: 1) Summary graph 2) Outcome result 3) “It happened when…” (story) 4) Testimonials from clients 5) Pictures as appropriate

Value Added Infographic Used simple frequencies to send a message to potential constituents

Recruitment Infographic Used quotes from girls (clients) to supplement recruitment and marketing campaigns

Media and Press Releases Use data and research tied to actual programs held to bolster and sometimes headline feature stories in news media

Questions? Emily Keilback Chief Advancement Officer (815) , Ext (815) (cell)