Oct 01, 2017

Bush Foundation;

The Bush Foundation developed five key learning principles from a No-Moat philanthropy perspective. Since moats and barricades isolate, foundations should be intentional about making an impact through their work. By building relationships, inspiring action, spreading optimism, foundations increase the positive they have in their regions.

Jun 01, 2017

Equal Measure;

The inaugural Issue Brief, Pathways to Progress: Setting the Stage for Impact (June 2015), described the Citi Foundation's goals in each of these impact areas and early progress. The second Issue Brief, Pathways to Progress: The Portfolio and the Field of Youth Economic Opportunity (April 2016), focused on impact in the field; including an overview of trends in the youth economic opportunity field, and how the Pathways to Progress grantees are responding to and contributing to these trends. The third Issue Brief, Pathways to Progress: Forging Strategies to Broaden Impact (November 2016), focused on organizational and programmatic impacts including scaling and program adaptation.This Issue Brief is the fourth and final in the Pathways to Progress series. In this Brief, we focus on the impact of the five flagship Pathways to Progress grantees on the youth they have served, and provide a retrospective look at the progress and select lessons from the first three years of the investment.

Mar 01, 2017

Greater Rochester Regional Health Foundation;

Neighborhood Health Status Improvement- Launched in 2008 · Asset based, resident driven, locally focused- Emphasis on improving the physical, social, and economic environments of neighborhoods

Feb 07, 2017

Ontario Nonprofit Network;

In the nonprofit sector, evaluation is a word that gets used a lot. Different kinds of data gathering approaches with different purposes sometimes get lumped together under the general heading of evaluation. This can lead to miscommunication and unrealistic expectations. To try to clear things up a bit, we have created this resource.

Nov 21, 2016

AECF;

What Is a Tested, Effective Program? As the name implies, tested, effective programs have undergone rigorous testing; their effectiveness is demonstrated by a convincing set of persuasive evidence. This evidence refers to four categories of information about the program:- Impact: How much positive change in developmental outcomes comes from the program?- Intervention specificity: Are the target population, the outcome and risk and protective factors to be addressed clearly stated? Does the theory of change or logic model explain how the change comes about?- Evaluation quality: Can we be confident in the program's evaluation?- System readiness: Is the program ready for implementation at scale?

Sep 26, 2016

E. T. Jackson & Associates, Ltd.; Rockefeller Foundation;

Developmental evaluation (DE) has emerged as an approach that is well suited to evaluating innovative early-stage or market-based initiatives that address complex social issues. However, because DE theory and practice are still evolving, there are relatively few examples of its implementation on the ground. This paper reviews the practical experience of a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) team in conducting a developmental evaluation of a Rockefeller Foundation initiative in the field of digital employment for young people, and offers observations and advice on applying developmental evaluation in practice.Through its work with The Rockefeller Foundation's team and its grantees, the M&E team drew lessons relating to context, intentional learning, tools and processes, trust and communication, and adaption associated with developmental evaluation. It was found that success depends on commissioning a highly qualified DE team with interpersonal and communication skills and, whenever possible, some sectoral knowledge. The paper also offers responses to three major criticisms frequently leveled against developmental evaluation, namely that it displaces other types of evaluations, is too focused on "soft" methods and indicators, and downplays accountability.Through its reporting of lessons learned and its response to the challenges and shortcomings of developmental evaluation, the M&E team makes the case for including developmental evaluation as a tool for the evaluation toolbox, recommending that it be employed across a wide range of geographies and sectors. With its recommendation, it calls for future undertakings to experiment with new combinations of methods within the DE framework to strengthen its causal, quantitative, and accountability dimensions.

Jan 12, 2016

Rhode Island Foundation;

In discussing EVALUATION AND IMPACT, it is easy to get caught up in a numbers game. There is tremendous pressure to report on how our work is making a difference, and scale ("Billions and billions served!") seems like the most expedient way to demonstrate why our organizations and our programs matter. When the goal is simple volume – for example, how many people can we move through this drive-in window? – the metrics can indeed be straightforward. But if the goal is changing social behaviors – how can we get students to stay in school, or how can we break the cycle of poverty, or how can we improve health outcomes? – the numbers can tell us a great deal, but rarely can they tell a complete story.

Jan 01, 2016

Policy Studies Associates, Inc.;

This report analyzes the progress of these districts in implementing the fourth key component, evaluation and support systems aligned with the district-adopted standards for leaders. Consistent with the initiative's philosophy that evaluations can be a positive source of guidance for improving practice, districts have agreed to provide novice principals with support tailored to their needs, as identified by evaluations. The ultimate goal of this support—which includes support from supervisors, coaching or mentoring, and professional development—is to strengthen principals' capacity to improve teaching and learning.