How do you measure (Jewish) organisational success?

The latest issue of Contact -- the periodical of Michael Steinhardt's Jewish Life Network - is on the theme of "measurement and accountability in the Jewish World'. The articles discuss the principles and practice of assessing effectiveness/success in different sorts of Jewish organisations and of assessing the success of Jewish programming initiatives. It is a fascinating subject, and some of the authors (not least the tough-talking Mr. Steinhardt himself!) point out that these ideas are alien to many Jewish groups, who prefer to report "anecdotally" and who resist external assessments.

Data is important; but measuring intangibles is extremely difficult, not least because the same person may see the same experience radically differently as time passes. Education is definitely a case in point. I believe that you cannot assess the effectiveness of a Jewish education until a student is in their thirties, at least ....