In July 2013, Innovation Network's Kat Athanasiades and Veena Pankaj presented "Evaluation: Finding a Common Ground" at the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The purpose of this session was to highlight the common threads that distinguish regional associations from other organizational genres in the social sector. Regional associations promote effectiveness in philanthropy by providing grantmakers with opportunities to engage with others, share ideas, and generate best practices that support both the individual and collective impact of philanthropy. While each regional association employs its own unique mix of strategies to achieve impact, most are working towards a shared goal of promoting effectiveness within philanthropy. In this session, Innovation Network engaged participants in a group dialogue to draw out high level strategies and desired outcomes that are common across most regional associations. The resulting logic model is a tool that regional associations can use as a starting point when planning for evaluation.
Innovation Network is a nonprofit evaluation, research, and consulting firm. We provide knowledge and expertise to help nonprofits and funders learn from their work to improve their results. For more information, please visit www.innonet.org.
1. Evaluation:
Finding a Common Ground
Kat Athanasiades
Veena Pankaj
Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers
Milwaukee, WI
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
www.innonet.org
#evalRA
2. www.innonet.org | #evalRA
Mission: building evaluation capacity
Evaluation and strategy consulting
Nonprofit, philanthropic, and
governmental organizations
Kat Veena
Wide range of evaluation experience
We consult on evaluation projects
We also provide resources and training
to share evaluation know how
Who are we?
7. www.innonet.org | #evalRA
Setting the context
Many evaluation
tools have been
developed in the
social sector for
philanthropic donors
and nonprofits.
nonprofit
philanthropic donor
8. www.innonet.org | #evalRA
Setting the context
However, there are
not many tools that
exist for regional
associations to
evaluate their work.
nonprofit
philanthropic donor
regional association
9. Advocacy and Policy Change Composite Logic Model
Infrastructure
Development
Capacity Building
Policy Proposal
Development
Organizational
Capacity
Media
Coverage
Partnerships or
Alliances
Collaboration
and Alignment
(including
messaging)
Constituency or
Support Base
Growth
Public Will
Awareness
Attitudes or
Beliefs
Policy
Development
Policy Adoption
Policy
Implementation
Policy Monitoring
and Evaluation
Issue/Policy
Analysis and
Research
New Advocates
(including unlikely
or nontraditional)
Salience
Issue
Reframing
Skills
Development
Strategy
Development
Data Collection
Partner
Development
Preparation/Planning
Staffing and
Leadership
Development
Lobbying
Policymaker and
Candidate
Education
Litigation or
Legal Advocacy
Relationship
Building with
Decision Makers
Goal Setting
Placement on the
Policy Agenda
New Donors
Policy Blocking
More or
Diversified
Funding
Organizational
Visibility or
Recognition
Fund Raising
Policy
Maintenance
Landscape
Mapping
New
Champions
(including
policymakers)
Problem
Assessment
Activities/Tactics Interim Outcomes Policy Goals
Impacts
Inputs
Political Climate
Economic Climate
Social Climate
Prior Experience Elected Officials
Public
Administrators
Candidates
MediaVoters Community
Leaders
Other Audiences
Business
Courts
Potential Partners/
Competitors/ Opponents
Issue Competition
Specific
Constituencies
Contextual Factors
Audiences
Improved
Services
And Systems
Positive Social
And Physical
Conditions
Political Will
Policy and Politics Advocacy
Capacity
Policy
Media
Partnerships
Grassroots
Organizing and
Mobilization
Coalition and
Network Building
Briefings/
Presentations
Demonstration
Projects or Pilots
Polling
Rallies and
Marches
Paid Media
Voter Education
Public Service
Announcements
Communications and Outreach
Policy
Assessment Message
Development
Materials
Development
Electronic
Outreach
Earned Media
Popular Culture
Artists/Gate-
keepers
Political Donors
19. www.innonet.org | #evalRA
Logic Models: Nuts and Bolts
How is a logic
model used? Program Planning
Program Management
Communications
Fundraising
Evaluation
Consensus-building
29. www.innonet.org | #evalRA
Logic Models: Nuts and Bolts
Outcomes
Outputs =
Deliverables, products,
units of service
Problem Statement
Goal
Resources Activities
35. Activity groups
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What are the main 3-5
activity groups of an
RA’s work?
Table Exercise #1
Which of those activity
groups are given
highest priority?
Which activity groups
are most common
across RAs?
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Activities
Table Exercise # 2
For your activity
group, what are at least
3 activities that you do?
How do activities stay
the same across RAs?
How do they differ?
42. Outcomes
www.innonet.org | #evalRA
Logic Models: Nuts and Bolts
Short-term
Changes in
knowledge, awarenes
s and attitude
Long-term
Changes in
conditions, practices
and norms
Intermediate
Changes in behavior
43. For your activity
group, what outcomes
do you expect to
result…
…in the short-term?
…in the long-term?
www.innonet.org | #evalRA
Outcomes
Table Exercise # 3
What kinds of things
might indicate your
success?
46. Evaluation:
Finding a Common Ground
Thank you!
For more information, please contact:
www.innonet.org
#evalRA
Kat Athanasiades
kathanasiades@innonet.org
Veena Pankaj
vpankaj@innonet.org