My Fellow Leaders,  

How do we know if we are being effective? Sometimes it is difficult to know if our ministry makes a difference - a lasting impact. There's only one way to know your ministry's effectiveness: measurement. This month we wanted to give you the tools to design programs to produce measurable outcomes.

 We are here to serve you and help you do what God has called you to do.  

Connect well with your community.

Jay Height 

[email protected] 

Westinghouse Electric Company supports K-12 creative hands-on projects in science, technology, engineering, and math through its N-Visioning a Brighter Future program. Application 
             Deadline: November 14, 2014
             Amount: $3,000

 Moyer Foundation funds programs that provide bereavement and grief support and substance abuse treatment for children and teens in Pennsylvania and Washington State. Eligible organizations may not generate more than 50% of their revenue from government contracts.  

More Information

             Deadline: August 14, 2014
             Amount: $10,000

 Lincoln Financial Group invites submission for 2014 Lincoln's Legacy Award recognizing nonprofit organizations that have increased high school graduation rates and college preparedness through mentoring, tutoring, technology training, or college readiness programs. How to Apply

              Deadline: June 6, 2014
              Amount: $50,000

 Aetna Foundation supports local programs that promote eating fresh fruits and vegetables and being physically active in low-income and minority communities where healthy food can be difficult to buy, and where social and environmental factors may limit people's ability to be physically active. Program Guidelines 

              Deadline: June 5, 2014
              Amount: $25,000-50,000

Donor Spotlight:
Hearst Foundation

 

Youth Development

Evidence-Based Program Design 

Practical Tools and Process for Common Non-Profit Functions

Increasing needs within the community combined with finite resources have prompted both practitioners and donors to seek out high quality programs that make a real difference for the people they serve. Programs should incorporate effective, measurable approaches in response to needs as well as a plan to demonstrate their effectiveness in achieving the intended transformational changes. Measuring program evidence allows us to: 

• Understand what "works" and tell the story of the difference the program made in the lives of recipients both individually and collectively.
• Identify

the best use of time and resources by documenting strengths and weaknesses, and verify how current efforts lead to desired results. 

• Demonstrate program relevance to participants, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Discover new needs within the community. 

Evidence-Based Program

• A collection of research-identified approaches and strategies that are packaged together and, based on rigorous, scientific evaluation, have been found to be effective in producing the expected positive results in multiple contexts.

Rigorous program evaluations:

• Are peer reviewed by experts in the field
• Prove that changes experienced by program participant are a result of the program and cannot be attributed to other factors

Compare program participant to a control group of individuals that did not participate in the program using experimental or quasi-experimental design

Successful programs improve by both using and generating evidence.

Using Evidence | Integrating best practices and learning from proven successes of others

Review published research, model program guides, and experts in the field to answer the following:

1. What are the current best practices in this program area?
2. How have others successfully addressed the problem your program intends to address?
3. Are these methods relevant for your target populations? How can they be adapted for your context?
4. How can this information be integrated into your current approach to improve effectiveness?

Guidelines for Selecting an Evidence-Based Program

Program Fidelity and Adaptation
 
Sources of Evidence-Based Program Guides and Best Practices by Signature Theme

Generating Evidence | Pioneering, Testing, and Sharing New Approaches

1. Specify the goals of the program and the needs it aims to address within the community
2. Define the program activities: What will you do to address the recognized needs? Describe the inputs (materials and resources), activities (processes), and outputs (measurable units of activities) of the program. 
3. Determine the use of evaluation results: What decisions will be made, who are the primary audiences for the results, and how can the results be shared with these audiences?
4. Choose outcomes: Describe the changes you hope to see in those who you serve
• What knowledge/skills will participants gain within the first few months? (short term)
• What behaviors will participants change within the first year? (intermediate)
• What attitudes, values, and status will they demonstrate long term? (long term)
• Connect the short, intermediate, and long term outcomes together.

         Activities --> Short Term Outcomes -->
         Intermediate Outcomes --> Long Term Outcomes 

• Assess the following for each outcome:

       a. Is it reasonable to expect that the
           program can influence this outcome?
       b. Will measuring the outcome help
           identify program successes and
           weaknesses?
       c. Do the outcomes reflect and support
           the program's main goal?
       d. Will identifying the outcomes help
           improve program services?  

5. Select indicators: Decide what to measure to show what you are doing and how you are doing it
• What can be observed about participants to show progress made toward chosen outcomes?
• Select at least one indicator to measure each expected outcome.
• Indicators should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely.
6. Get feedback on chosen outcomes and selected indicators from stakeholders and an evaluation consultant to make sure they align with program priorities, participant needs, and are measureable.
7. Identify practical data sources for selected measures and determine who, when, and how data will be collected, managed, and analyzed.
8. Dissemination: How will you share evidence and who will you share it with? What is the mechanism for providing the program with feedback to inform management decisions?       

PerformWell's Performance Management Webinar Series

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