Benchmarking for Nonprofits: How to Measure, Manage, and Improve

In this review of Benchmarking for Nonprofits, readers will find a practical, low-cost road map to improving organizational performance. Jason Saul presents a clear method for formalizing the benchmarking many nonprofits already do informally, and the book's biggest reason to buy is its focused, usable guidance on measuring what matters. This review highlights how the book helps teams form a benchmarking group, create a success equation, and overcome staff resistance so that benchmarking becomes a daily management habit rather than an occasional exercise.

Key Features

• Formal benchmarking method: Lays out five key steps that transform informal comparisons into a repeatable improvement process for nonprofits.
• Practical preparation guidance: Describes how to prepare an organization and form a benchmarking team so efforts start with the right people and mindset.
• Success equation concept: Provides a framework to measure performance that helps organizations focus on the outcomes that matter most.
• Partner selection advice: Explains how to choose benchmarking partners and what lessons can come from a poorly matched partner.
• Resistance management: Offers realistic suggestions for overcoming staff resistance and making benchmarking a sustainable practice.

Who It's For

This book is best for nonprofit leaders, program managers, and board members who want a low-cost, structured approach to performance improvement. It works well for teams ready to move from occasional evaluation to a continuous benchmarking practice and for organizations that need clear, implementable tools rather than high-level theory.

It is less suitable for readers seeking detailed financial modeling or technical data analysis tools; the emphasis is on practical management, team formation, and choosing what to measure rather than on software or complex statistics.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear, step-by-step benchmarking process that nonprofits can adopt without major new resources.
• Actionable advice on forming teams and selecting partners, making implementation easier.
• Focus on measuring what matters through a success equation that aligns measurement with mission.

Cons

• Not a technical manual for advanced data analysis, so organizations needing heavy analytics may need additional resources.

Specifications

Title	Benchmarking for Nonprofits: How to Measure, Manage, and Improve Performance
Author / Brand	Jason Saul
Main focus	Formal benchmarking for nonprofit organizations
Key content areas	Preparing organizations, measuring performance, implementing best practices
Methodology	Five key steps of benchmarking and a success equation
Practical tools	Team formation, partner selection, resistance management

Our Verdict

Benchmarking for Nonprofits is a practical, well-structured guide that translates informal comparison into an everyday improvement tool. Nonprofit leaders and managers will find it good value because it focuses on implementable steps, clear team roles, and choosing meaningful measures rather than expensive tools. Buy it if you want to institutionalize continuous improvement with minimal cost and clear direction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book explain how to start benchmarking?
Yes, it outlines how to prepare your organization and form a benchmarking team to begin implementing the five-step method.

Will this help with data analysis?
The book emphasizes measuring what matters and a success equation but is not a technical data analysis manual; additional analytic tools may be needed for complex metrics.

Is benchmarking expensive to implement?
No, the book presents benchmarking as a no-cost way to improve daily management by using structured comparisons and best practices rather than costly systems.