Counting -- and missing what counts

Albert Einstein once said "Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."

I find that's particularly true for community work.

Funders are always looking for numbers -- number of meetings, number of attendees, number of volunteer hours, number of partner agencies, number of actions, etc.  But these numbers may have little correlation to the amount of benefit that comes out of a community project.  How do you measure inspiration or a sense of belonging?  How do you measure increased confidence or trust or strengthened relationships?  Is an hour spent listening to the troubles of one youth less valuable than an hour spent running a workshop attended by 10?

A project may look great in the numbers and yet have little real impact with people on the ground.  With the right incentives (e.g. food, bus tokens, honoraria), people will attend meetings or fill out surveys or do actions on a checklist.  There are ways to get good numbers.  But in this quest for numbers and focus on counting, we risk losing the immeasurable things that really count.

We don't have to, though.  I believe it is possible to get both good numbers and real impact.  But our focus must stay on the people.

Sincerity speaks through our actions.  If we're looking for good numbers, people can feel it.  If we're looking to make a difference, people can feel it too.   We must only be sincere in our intents and let the numbers fall where they may.