Encouraging the Collection of Performance Data in Nonprofit Organizations: The Importance of Organizational Support for Learning

Abstract

This article provides insight into how to facilitate performance data collection within nonprofit organizations. Following research on organizational learning, we propose that nonprofits that provide higher support for employee learning and development activities are more likely to collect performance data than those that provide limited support to such activities. We assess this hypothesis with data collected from 154 employees in 26 nonprofits in the greater New York Capital region. We find that higher support for learning indeed has a positive relationship with performance data collection, but the strength of this relationship depends on the nonprofits’ capacity to conduct performance assessment and clarity of their organizations goals. Implications of these results for research and practice on performance management in nonprofits are discussed.