Step 5: Interpret and Communicate Findings

ROI findings have little value unless they are communicated clearly and effectively to decision makers. The final step is to explain the ROI results and share them with partners, community leaders, funders, and policymakers.

Tell the Story

Rural program leaders should develop and share clear messages about the value the program created, how it compares to usual practice, and what the results mean.

Rural program leaders should aim to tell a story with their findings, not just report a single ROI number. This story should include both measurable results and broader social benefits. For example, it can be helpful to highlight:

• Financial value, such as cost savings or improved efficiency
• Social value, such as stronger community partnerships or better health outcomes

Sharing the full picture helps others understand why the program matters.

In the Healthy Heart Education Program example, rural program leaders prepare a report for funders and community leaders that highlights the program's financial value, including reduced strain on the local hospital and avoided high-cost emergency care. The report also describes the social value of the program, such as improved health knowledge among rural residents and stronger partnerships between the hospital and community organizations.

What to Report

ROI results should be presented alongside other complementary metrics, such as:

• Total program costs and total benefits
• Benefit-cost ratios or cost‑effectiveness measures, when appropriate
• When costs are accrued and benefits are gained
• ROI estimates from different perspectives, such as:
  • The program or organization
  • Participants 
  • The healthcare system
  • Society as a whole

Programs should also clearly describe the key parameters and outcomes that drive the ROI results. This helps stakeholders understand what factors matter most and where results are most sensitive to change.

Additional Program Value

To strengthen an ROI report, rural program leaders should describe qualitative findings in a separate section called "Additional Program Value" or "Non‑Monetized Benefits." This section is a place to describe qualitative findings, such as stories and feedback. When writing this section of the ROI report, some tips are to:

• Link qualitative findings to outcomes: Connect the stories to changes. For example, the Healthy Heart Education Program staff reported improved follow‑up, which aligned with the reduction in missed appointments.
• Use qualitative data to contextualize uncertainty: Explain how staff or participant experiences supported or challenged the assumptions used in the ROI analysis.
• Use short, clear, and compelling examples: These may include staff or participant quotes or themes. These examples should reinforce the results of the ROI analysis.

Timing, Uncertainty, and Interpretation

When sharing results, it is important to explain when costs are incurred compared to when benefits are realized, especially when benefits accrue over time. For example, a short-term investment in resources for a community program may generate long‑term benefits. When benefits are expected to accrue over multiple years, discounting future benefits to their present value, using a standard discount rate such as 3%, gives decisionmakers a more accurate picture of the program's value in today's dollars.

Finally, programs should acknowledge uncertainty in the estimates. When possible, rural program leaders should summarize the results of sensitivity or uncertainty analyses to show how ROI findings change under different assumptions. Being transparent about uncertainty supports more informed decision‑making.

For the Healthy Heart Education Program, ROI estimates are sensitive to assumptions about healthcare use (such as emergency department visits avoided), unit healthcare costs, participant engagement, and how long behavior changes may last. Sensitivity analysis showed that ROI improves under reasonable assumptions, such as avoiding just a few additional hospitalizations, meaning that the ROI estimates are conservative.

Resources to Learn More

Calculating Community ROI: Measuring the Networked Value of Engagement
Document
Explains a framework for calculating the ROI of community programs, including the importance of positioning results in ways that resonate with leadership and decision‑makers.
Organization: The Community Roundtable