Is Constituent Feedback Living up to Its Promise? Provider Perceptions of Feedback Practices in Nonprofit Human Service Organizations

Abstract

In recent years, leaders of nonprofit human service organizations and their funders have made a significant investment in systematic data collection and analysis to analyze program activities. Using data gathered from a survey and 5 focus groups of members of a national organization of human service providers, this study evaluates providers’ perceptions of the practices they use to gather feedback from service beneficiaries and other stakeholders. The study developed a 6-element framework of feedback purposes to frame current practices. The study found that providers are actively engaged in feedback activities but are dissatisfied with their efforts, attributable to disagreements over the purpose of feedback, concerns over the value of data collection instruments, and the lack of organizational capacity.