Benchmarking

 

JCC Excellence: The Benchmarking Project*

Project Goal

JCC Association can proactively help JCCs improve their services and operations as well as create an early-warning system to detect problems by tracking measurable indicators of JCC organizational health. JCC Excellence - The Benchmarking Project will create a dashboard for every JCC showing how it compares to its peers on key drivers of organizational success. The dashboard will be used proactively by JCC Association to map the entire JCC system according to the gaps between current performance and excellence. The resulting JCC Excellence - The Benchmarking Project tools will also enable the JCC Association consultants to work effectively and efficiently by giving them quantitative tools to more rapidly align JCC stakeholders, thereby reducing time spent in strategy (since key issues and goals will already be identified quantitatively by the dashboard), and increasing consultants’ availability for implementing the change toward excellence.

Why Measuring Motivates

There is a business maxim, “you cannot manage what you cannot measure.” Measurement works because a management team naturally pays attention to what they can quantify. Many organizations are unable to improve because they are pulled in many directions; focusing on critical activities is the key. Furthermore, no organization wants to think of itself as average or below average. When a JCC can see how it stands vis-à-vis its peers, a natural sense of friendly competition (in which everyone can win) is invoked. This “tide that lifts all boats” works as follows: a JCC that is falling far short of excellence will be motivated to improve by learning from consultants and JCCs at the top of its peer group; the JCC will also be able to track and show donors its quantitative progress towards measurable excellence. Meanwhile, top performing JCCs not only help other JCCs emulate their success, but are also motivated to keep setting the standards of excellence even higher.  In addition, JCCs will be able to longitudinally track their progress on key drivers of excellence.

From the fundraising perspective, a JCC has an instant report card it can show its donors (noting both areas of excellence and areas for improvement), which is very effective in motivating investment. Finally, if JCC Association is to invest in a consulting team to help JCCs improve performance, the consultants must be equipped with tools enabling them to challenge, inspire, and motivate each JCC client.

Benefits Summary

For JCC Management and Board:

• Provide customized “dashboard” to help drive their JCC toward excellence, with apples-to-apples comparison data on key activities for peer JCCs
  
  
• Make a compelling case for investment or demonstration of success with federations and donors
  
  
• In sea of demands, focus executive’s energy on key leverage points
  
• Arrive at more informed decisions using real data
  
  
• Set real goals for staff and focus board’s attention on key areas for improvement based on data

 

For JCC Association

• Provide blueprints for JCCs of Excellence and a basis for best practice exchange
  
  
• Create assessment tool for JCC Association consultants to more effectively help JCCs undergo a change management process and achieve excellence
  
  
• Early-warning system to detect problems at JCCs

 

* Adapted by Alan Goldberg, vice-president, JCC Association, and Brian Hayden, senior consultant, Collaborative Strategies, Inc.  from a document prepared by Sacha Litman, principal consultant, Measuring Success, Inc.