Giving Compass' Take:

• TCC Group discusses the practice of "heat mapping," a method that visually demonstrates where your organization is most active when it comes to impact goals. 

• How does your org's heatmap look? Are there areas that are cooling off too much? Consider putting this exercise into practice to get on track or accelerate progress.

• No matter what the map says, your top social goals should always be about people. Here's why.

The work you do in the social sector is likely unique in its mission and programs. As unique as it is, social sector organizations like yours share the common goal to “move the needle.” They may work towards improving conditions for local youth or inspiring local creativity by supporting the community arts scene.

No matter your mission, it is important to ensure your activities are clearly aligned with your ultimate social impact goals.

To that end, we have produced three videos that demonstrate how you can use logic model heat mapping to strengthen the alignment between your group’s mission and activities.

Heat mapping is used to visually demonstrate where a group like yours is most active with regard to its stated activities and goals. In less than ten minutes, you can learn how to use this visual tool to help accomplish your group’s goals. Each video is tailored to nonprofit organizations, foundations, or coalitions.

This video shows you how to inventory your nonprofit’s programs and then create an organizational heat map. Heat mapping will illustrate where you are focusing your activities and what to do if your activities are not aligned with your group’s goals.

Read the full article about using logic model heat mapping to illustrate your impact goals by Rose Konecky at TCC Group.