5 Ways Scorecard Boosts Results-Based Accountability Initiatives

Clear Impact Scorecard is not only a powerful accountability tool — it is the only software in the world designed to support the Results-Based Accountability (RBA) implementation process from start to finish. This is something we’re very proud of, as RBA is a powerful methodology that is helping communities around the world create measurable improvements. But if you’ve never tried our free version or received a custom demo, you may be wondering how it’s possible to support a framework with software. We’ve poured decades of combined RBA experience into our Scorecard software to ensure it contains all the essential ingredients for RBA success.

Here’s a quick summary if you’re in a hurry:

Clear Impact Scorecard supports the entire RBA training and implementation process from start to finish. Here’s why:

• It is the only RBA support software on the market.
• It organizes your data with adherence to the Population-Performance distinction while allowing you to see connections between the two, roll up data into aggregates, or get more detailed views through disaggregated data.
• It supports transparency and accountability by supporting sharing data and Turn the Curve plans publicly.
• It guides you through the RBA Turn the Curve Thinking process for each measure.
• It has built-in training and support.

1. Built-In RBA Training

Scorecard’s features are optimal for organizations that already use RBA in their work, but it can also help those beginning to understand the framework. Our internal training videos will guide you through the most important processes of RBA and show you how to use the software to engage in each process. We explain concepts in a simple, accessible way for veterans and beginners alike. If some or all of the terms in this post are unfamiliar to you — don’t sweat it! Start using Scorecard for free and learn about RBA at the same time. 

If you want RBA experts on your team or want to become that expert yourself, we also offer RBA courses. These courses provide certifications and more advanced training on how to use RBA through Scorecard to improve your community. 

2. Fosters Transparency and Accountability

The easiest and quickest way to communicate with donors, partners, funders, and the public effectively is through transparent visualization of data with your accompanying RBA narratives. To help you do this, Scorecard allows you to “embed” your data on your website (display your Scorecards within a webpage that automatically updates as you make changes in your account). This removes the need for you to be a website coding and HTML expert. Scorecard also supports public sharing via simple links that you can send out via email and social media. Finally, the data visualization capabilities, allow you to easily present material to funders, stakeholders, boards, donors, and partners to inspire buy-in for your strategies and drive action. Here’s how Scorecard helps you increase your transparency specifically with funders:

• Simplifies data collection, standardizes reporting, and measures progress with an integrated suite of tools that work together automatically
• Provides functionality for monthly, quarterly, or annual reports from grant recipients in a consistent format to reduce reporting burden
• Improves social ROI by helping you implement a disciplined reporting process, prioritize performance, and align funding priorities

3. Supports the Vital Population /Performance Accountability Distinction

In RBA, it is essential to differentiate between three types of accountability: population, performance, and personal. We go in-depth into this concept in a recent blog, but the basic idea is that each requires different actions to achieve. This is because different people (or groups) are responsible for managing different types of data and strategies. Scorecard helps make this distinction clear by allowing you to look at your data on different “levels” while demonstrating connections between all levels. You will be able to look at your big-picture collaborative goals, strategies, and data — or, dive in deeper to manage the lower levels of accountability that contribute to your big-picture goals. You can easily set up weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual performance dashboards for team members or track trends across your more extensive population accountability measures. Thanks to the collaborative nature of the system, individuals can keep track of their performance and share their work with others when appropriate. 

4. Collaboration

Creating measurable results in a community often requires collaborative strategies. Partnering with other organizations is essential in building and sustaining a community. To foster trust and collaboration, sharing data can help ease the burden for individuals on larger projects, expand the scope of existing initiatives, and broaden the base of community members you can reach. Scorecard is built with all of this in mind. Sharing your measures is simple with Scorecard, using embedding and exporting. You can also make data collection collaborative by using our Partner Connect feature to share data with other Scorecard users.

Additionally, Scorecard allows you to have multiple users participating and using the system together to create and manage Scorecards and performance measures. This means that individuals with different responsibilities working on the same project can input their data relating to their work. You can also assign actions to particular individuals, send email notifications, and track project completion through interactive progress charts. If paired with a good understanding of the different types of accountability, as listed above, you can improve the efficiency of your work drastically. 

5. Turn the Curve Action Planning 

Turn the Curve Thinking is an essential aspect of the RBA framework and Scorecard has a built-in space to develop your Turn the Curve action plans. When starting with step one — your data analysis — you can factor in targets, measure polarity (do you want the measure to increase or decrease?), trend lines, forecasting, and baseline percentage change. You can actually visualize all of these components on your graph to help you better understand the state of your data.

There are more features that make Scorecard the ideal tool for realizing your Turn the Curve action plan. Each measure on Scorecard features a content box (or notes) for each step of the Turn the Curve thinking process: Story Behind the Curve, Partners, What Works, and the Action Plan. What’s even cooler is that you can create custom notes and call them whatever you want — language is completely customizable. So even if you use RBA thinking but use different terminology, Scorecard has you covered.  Scorecard notes can then be expanded upon by your verified contributors or shared publicly to provide context with each of your RBA measures.