Network Health Scorecard: A Tool to Assess Your Network's Health

As we have designed networks and coached network builders, the question always comes up: How can we know how the network is doing? In some ways, the answer is complicated. There are different types of networks and networks evolve through different stages–factors that should be taken into account. But it’s also true that some things about networks hold true for any network at any stage of life.

Working with partners at Cause Communications and testing ideas with members of Rural People Rural Policy networks supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we developed a Network Health Scorecard. With just 22 questions and a 1-5 point scoring system, it focuses on key aspects of a network’s purpose, performance, operations, and capacity. It’s designed for group use–network members answer each question and then discuss their answers. You can find an example of how one network used the scorecard to improve its effectiveness here:

Using a Scorecard to Assess Your Network's Health: Case Example