Nonprofits are saddled with reporting requirements on the impact of their efforts, especially human service groups. They receive less, are asked to do more and then receive even less because they allegedly aren’t doing enough with what little they have — or they receive less because they are not reporting their impact.

A survey conducted by the Nonprofit Finance Fund in New York City, supported by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, found impact reporting to be a significant issue among nonprofits. Or rather, it found difficulty with impact reporting to be a significant issue.

To the question “What prevents you from regularly collecting impact data?,” the survey got the following responses:

• Not enough staff or time, 69 percent.
• Our impact isn’t easily measurable, 54 percent.
• No resources to hire a consultant for data collection, 52 percent.
• Don’t have the right staff expertise, 40 percent.
• Don’t have the necessary technology or computer systems, 26 percent.
• No one asks for it, 11 percent.