Metrics & Data
Metrics and Data to Support Ongoing Improvements
Purpose
Guidelines and examples of data to track across outreach and programming efforts.
For any outreach or programming effort, collecting basic data points and tracking feedback from users and potential users can help you find areas for improvement or opportunities for growth. The sections below outline both basic and more advanced evaluation measures to track. The examples are just a starting point. Your specific program parameters and audience of interest will help you identify a selection of metrics that will be both manageable and useful to you.
Input/Process Measures (What are you doing to reach landowners?)
Basic:
How many landowners are you reaching with your outreach and programming?
Number of outreach impressions by type
Number of direct mailers sent
Readership of earned media or partner’s e-newsletters
Number of people stopping at a table
Number of programming activities by type
Number of workshops
Number of tabling events
Advanced:
What characteristics of your outreach and programming might be impacting response?
Track different imagery, language, or themes used (e.g., improving hunting, keeping land in the family, service provider meet-and-greet, photo(s) of a large buck, a family walking, machinery in the woods)
Track time of day, time of year (season), day of week, length of event, and location (county, venue)
Track amenities offered (e.g., food, childcare, access to service providers)
When you track the themes you use, length of events, and other factors and compare the outcome measures (described below,) you can find trends that can help you improve your outcomes. Perhaps you may notice that people are willing to travel further to attend a full-day event than a two-hour event, or that you tend to get a different audience type when you have events at the local college versus the local senior center, or when you are able to offer childcare. When trying to reach a new audience, pay attention to the characteristics of your outreach and programming and what aspects might be influencing landowners to participate. These insights can be supplemented by seeking direct feedback from participants and potential participants, such as through the Advanced Outcome measures or Impact measures described below. |
Outcome Measures (Are you engaging enough people? Is this helpful to them?)
Basic:
How many landowners are you engaging? Are they representative of the evolving communities that you seek to reach?
Number of total landowners responding to outreach call-to-action (e.g., number that call office, number that attend workshop).
Number of total landowners taking the next step (e.g., number that get a management plan, number that complete cost-share application).
Demographics of landowners participating in above (follow your state’s priorities but consider asking landowners to self-identify (e.g.,woodland parcel’s county and acreage, landowner tenure, veteran status, race/ethnicity).
This information could be requested in an intake form or an anonymous survey at the end of a workshop.
For one-on-one activities like a site visit, landowners could be invited to complete an optional survey.
While some landowners may be hesitant to disclose their demographic information, others may be happy to share about themselves. When demographic information is important to you, you can share that with your attendees by saying (or including in the form), “We realize that [insert demographic] landowners have not been well served by [insert your agency] in the past. We are working to correct this, and tracking demographic information like the questions in the [intake form/evaluation survey] help us to track our progress, improve our offerings, and make sure we are serving all landowners in [state] equitably. All questions are optional, but we appreciate you sharing whatever you are comfortable with.” Alternatively, if one of your partnering organizations has a well-established relationship with the attendees, consider asking if they would be willing to collect and share aggregated or anonymized data with you. |
Advanced:
Is the activity/programming helpful to the landowners?
Consider an exit survey of landowners from live presentations/workshops
How useful was this presentation overall? (1-5 scale)
What was most useful?
What was least useful?
How confident do you feel in [insert next step](e.g., applying for cost share, hiring a [specific service provider])?
How likely are you to [insert next step](e.g., Set up a site visit, apply for cost share, get a management plan)?
What would help you [insert step as above]?
How can we improve the [presentation, program’s processes]?
How did you hear about today’s event?
What made you decide to attend today’s event?
What topics, content, or activities would you like to see at future events?
Have you ever been to a forestry-related event before?
The direct and specific feedback that you can get from an exit survey can give you valuable direction to shift your programming or add supports where landowners need help. This information will also give you insight into the specific community where you’re working and can add important context, as well as confirm or disprove any predictions you might have made about the needs of the community. Don’t ask for feedback if you don’t intend to make changes based on what you learn. Keeping an open mind and listening to the community members you’re seeking to serve is an important part of building trust. Asking for feedback that you then don’t act on can instead erode trust. |
Impact Measures (Are you expanding your reach to engage evolving communities?)
While a general survey of all landowners in your state or region would help you to gauge the true reach of your outreach efforts, you can also gather information from individuals through convenience samples, such as people who stop at a table at an event (such as a county fair) that is not specifically focused on woodland owners or a specific landowner group. You may have to incentivize people to take the survey, but a “swag wheel” to spin or a raffle of one or two more desirable items can keep costs low while providing enough of a nudge to encourage participation. *Note: If you offer swag, raffle tickets, or similar incentives, be sure to give them to each participant, even if they do not complete the survey or do not own woodlands.
While a single snapshot will not answer the question of whether or not you are successfully engaging growing communities, comparing responses over time will give you indications of any trends.
Generalized survey of landowners
Do you own woodlands in [state]? (If no: discontinue survey)
Are you aware of [program/resources]?
If yes: Have you participated/used [program/resources]?
If yes: Why?
If no: Why not?
Where do you like to receive information related to woodland programming and resources?
What do you need related to your woodlands?
Demographics (as in Outcome Metrics above)
If you would like to connect about this topic, please reach out to:
Katherine Hollins, Principal, welsummerconsulting@gmail.com
This toolkit is designed to help foresters establish respectful, informed, and effective relationships with forest landowners. The guidance and tools provided here are based on field experience and proven practices that help connect all eligible landowners to available forestry resources, programs, and assistance. For more information, contact info@asekia.org.
