Help us by answering the questions at the end of this indicator. This indicator is for programs that provide training, technical assistance, loans or other financial assistance to businesses. All these features refer to outcomes that are a direct result of the business development program's support. Other useful data to track are job benefits, such as health insurance, retirement benefits, and paid vacation time. This indicator is useful because it is the measure most often used by funders to assess growth as a result of technical assistance and financing activities.
New jobs are critical to improving the economic health of a community.
The organization can ask entrepreneurs who request assistance to participate in data collection, now and in the future, with the purpose of tracking outcomes and improving the business assistance program. If the assistance is for a business start-up, the entrepreneur's own job and that of any employees can be attributed to the program. You can also present the cumulative totals for the life of the program. When a program provides assistance to a small business, it is hard to say how long the effects of that assistance will last. Gather data annually, and set a ceiling of five years in counting outcomes generated with your business program's support.