Browse social change Resources
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#JAGUnity2014: Innovations in Evaluating Social Movements Today, social movement organizers are grappling with big questions: What is the long-term impact we are hoping to make? How can we measure the progress we've made thus far? How can we learn from past practice? On June 7, 2014, Innovation Netowrk's William Fenn spoke on a panel with with Deepak Pateriya and Sian O'Faolain of the Center for Community Change and Hillary Klein of Make the Road New York to try and answer some of these questions. Author: Will Fenn, Deepak Pateriya, Sian O'Faolain, Hillary Klein Type: Presentation Slides Date: Jun 7, 2014 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Atlantic Reports: Investing in Change: Why Supporting Advocacy Makes Sense for Foundations This report, the first in the "Atlantic Reports" series, focuses on grantmaking in support of advocacy. The report explains why The Atlantic Philanthropies, based in Bermuda, and other funders "commit to advocacy as strategy to advance social change." The report highlights the advocacy grantmaking experiences of Atlantic and "other foundations in the U.S. and around the world." Author: The Atlantic Philanthropies Type: Research & Reports Date: May 1, 2008
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Champions and “Champion-ness”: Measuring Efforts to Create Champions for Policy Change Creating “policy champions” who can bring about changes in public policy is central to many advocacy
projects. As advocacy advisors and evaluators for nonprofits and foundations, we work with a broad variety
of clients. Whether they aspire to increase access to contraception in Tanzania or to playgrounds in South
Central Los Angeles, we are likely to hear that identifying, informing, supporting or engaging policy champions is
a key element of their strategy.Author: David Devlin-Foltz and Lisa Molinaro Type: Research & Reports Date: Aug 31, 2010 Point K Pick
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Coalition Assessment: Approaches for Measuring Capacity and Impact Why assess coalition capacity? How should a coalition be assessed? How can coalition assessment data be analyzed and used?
Author: Veena Pankaj, Kat Athanasiades, and Ann Emery Type: Research & Reports Date: Feb 4, 2014 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (768.05 KB) -
Collective Impact Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination, yet the social sector remains focused on the isolated intervention of individual organizations.
Author: Kania J, Kramer M. - Stanford Social Innovation Review Type: Research & Reports Date: Dec 1, 2011 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Evaluating Complexity: Propositions for Improving Practice Evaluating Complexity: Propositions for Improving Practice asks civil society organizations to challenge the assumptions behind traditional evaluation models as they take steps toward evaluating complex initiatives and initiatives in complex environments.
Author: FSG Type: Research & Reports Date: Nov 17, 2014 Be the first to review this resource! Download (2.85 MB) -
Evaluating Networks for Social Change: A Casebook In response to the growing interest of grantmakers and network builders, this casebook profiles nine evaluations that address key questions about network effectiveness while expanding what is known about assessment approaches that fit with how networks develop and function.
Author: Center for Evaluation Innovation Type: Research & Reports Date: Jul 1, 2014 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.12 MB) -
Evaluating Social Justice Advocacy: A Values Based Approach Although social justice is a concept inherent in many advocacy efforts, it often remains unspoken or is
ignored during the evaluation process. In some ways, the use of a social justice lens when evaluating
advocacy should be self-evident. If advocacy efforts aim for social justice outcomes, evaluations should look
for evidence that such outcomes have been achieved. But understanding just what social justice means can
be a challenge, as can knowing how to look for it in the context of complex and often long-term advocacy efforts.Author: Barbara Klugman Type: Research & Reports Date: Aug 1, 2010 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (334.73 KB) -
Evaluation for the Way We Work Michael Quinn Patton describes the developmental evaluation approach. Here is an excerpt from the article:
Author: Michael Quinn Patton Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Mar 21, 2006 Be the first to review this resource! Download (886 KB) -
Evaluation to Support Strategic Learning: Principles and Practices Evaluation that supports strategic learning is an area that the Center for Evaluation Innovation is helping to develop and grow. Working with organizations and groups to integrate evaluative thinking into their strategic decision making and bring timely data to the table for reflection and use has tremendous potential as an approach to evaluation, particularly for complex and dynamic social change strategies.
Author: Julia Coffman & Tanya Beer Type: Research & Reports Date: Jun 1, 2011 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (106.64 KB) -
Exploring climate change and disaster governance issues The page 28 denotes
In Orissa, research by Arun Kumar Das with farmers captures their experiences and perceptions of climate over the past 20 years and compares
this with meteorological data from local weather stations. His research found that 50 percent of the farmers in the study area had already applied
adaptation strategies to respond to their experience of climate change. These included changes in crops, crop varieties, planting dates, along withAuthor: Harris, K., Terry Cannon, T. et al Type: Research & Reports Date: Apr 1, 2011 Be the first to review this resource! Download (3.24 MB) -
From Expert to Advocate! Tools for Evidence-Based Advocacy In Your Community You are a powerful force in your community. As a service provider and/or community leader you see clearly where more progress can be made. How can you build the evidence base to change policies and increase resources to save more lives?
To get started, here are a few tools to assess gaps in service delivery and resource allocation, while increasing community and citizen ownership. These tools are just a sample of how to build your evidence base for effective advocacy. The process of developing your evidence base with your community can be as important as the end product.Author: ACTION: Advocacy to Control Tuberculosis Internationally Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Jan 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (684.46 KB) -
Guidelines for Evaluating Non-Profit Communications Efforts The Communications Consortium Media Center has been engaged in its Media Evaluation Project since 2002, providing a review of current communications evaluation in the nonprofit world and the social science of communications strategies. The project produced four working papers by experts from the Berkeley Media Studies Group, Harvard Family Research Project and Michigan State University. These papers served as the research base for "Guidelines for Evaluating Non-Profit Communications Efforts." This working paper summarizes the project's findings and offers guidelines for the eva Author: Communications Consortium Media Center Type: Research & Reports Date: Apr 1, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (113.86 KB) -
Making an Impact: Impact Measurement among Charities and Social Enterprises in the UK Ten years ago, critics dismissed impact measurement as too difficult, misleading, or simply not important. Today, 75% of UK charities measure some or all of their work, and nearly three-quarters have invested more in measuring results over the last five years. Making an impact offers the first representative picture of the charity sector’s response to the challenge of impact measurement.
NPC surveyed 1,000 charities in the UK with incomes over £10,000 to understand what has changed in charities’ impact measurement practices, the drivers behind measuring impact, and the benefits and challenges that it brings.Author: Eibhlín Ní Ógáin, Tris Lumley, David Pritchard Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (726.51 KB) -
MEASURING SOCIAL CAPITAL: AN EXPLORATION IN COMMUNITY– RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP Large numbers of social policy initiatives and community organizations are currently engaged in “community building” efforts that seek, in part, to strengthen informal relationships and the organizational infrastructure of communities and to build the capacity of communities to manage and foster community change. One critical requirement for improving such practice is for communities to have greater access and capacity to use information for planning, advocacy, and assessment. Author: Robert J. Chaskin, Robert M. Goerge, Ada Skyles, and Shannon Guiltinan Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Oct 1, 2006 Be the first to review this resource! Download (308.28 KB) -
Measuring Social Change Investments The Women’s Funding Network ("WFN") is "a worldwide partnership of women's funds, donors, and allies committed to social justice, in particular as it relates to appreciating women and girls as key to building strong, equitable, and sustainable communities and societies."
Since 2001, WFN has supported ongoing research on the concept of social return on investment ("SROI") under the title "Measuring Social Change Investments." This paper summarizes the "Measuring Social Change Investments" research.
Author: Puntenney, Deborah L. Type: Research & Reports Date: Apr 15, 2002 Be the first to review this resource! Download (219.91 KB) -
Mobilizing Public Will for Social Change This publication, third in the series from the Communication Consortium Media Center's Media Evaluation Project, examines the dynamics of a public will campaign and offers suggestions for evaluation. The paper begins by walking the reader through the elements of a public will campaign (components such as "social problem construction" and "agenda building"), and then offers seven "exemplars." The last section of the paper discusses evaluating public will campaigns and the resulting social change. Author: Salmon, Charles T. et al. Type: Research & Reports Date: Jun 1, 2003 Be the first to review this resource! Download (149.07 KB) -
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) in NGO Advocacy: Findings from Comparative Policy Advocacy MEL Review Project “For organizations committed to social change, advocacy often figures as a crucial strategic element. How to assess effectiveness in advocacy is, therefore, important. The usefulness of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) in advocacy are subject to much current debate.
Author: Oxfam America Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Feb 1, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.89 MB) -
Online Outreach Tools Guide This quick-reference guide from Cause Communications is for those considering how to use the Internet and online tools to further their policy change agenda. Demystifying "high-tech" terms, the guide takes a high-level look at Web 2.0 tools like wikis, blogs, social networking sites, and Twitter, and their relative strengths and weaknesses for achieving different communications and policy objectives. The guide also suggests quantitative and qualitative metrics to use with each tool. Author: Cause Communications Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Oct 27, 2009 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (223.04 KB) -
Picturing Your Data is Better Than 1000 Numbers: Data Visualization Techniques for Social Change Are you intrigued by infographics and how they could improve your communication strategy? Are you interested in what it takes for an organization to systematically use data? Or are you maybe even drowning in data and looking for someone to throw you a life-saving suggestion for software and other tools? Johanna Morariu, Beth Kanter, and Brian Kennedy presented a panel on data and information visualization at the 2012 Nonprofit Tech Conference. This video is a recording of the panel.
Author: Johanna Morariu Type: Presentation Slides Date: Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Telling Your Story: A Guide to Preparing Advocacy Case Studies This guidebook was created to encourage activists to record their stories. The authors believe that it is beneficial for advocates to communicate experiences that will stimulate and teach others working toward social change. The guidebook clarifies the "hows and whys" of writing an advocacy case study. The body of the guidebook is made up of four sections: the reasons for writing a case study, methods for selecting a focus,writing hints, and what to do with the finished product. Author: Advocacy Institute Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Aug 28, 2001 Be the first to review this resource! Download (268.47 KB) -
The Community Toolbox The Community Tool Box is a global resource for free information on essential skills for building healthy communities. It offers practical guidance in creating change and improvement in a wide range of areas.
Part A. Models for Promoting Community Health and Development: Gateways to the Tools
Part B. Community Assessment, Agenda Setting, and Choice of Broad Strategies
Part C. Promoting Interest and Participation in Initiatives
Part D. Developing a Strategic Plan, Organizational Structure, and Training System
Author: Work Group for Community Health and Development Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2011
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The Grantmaker’s Role in Theory of Change Innovation Network developed these three introductory evaluation documents as part of Building Nonprofit Capacity to Evaluate, Learn, and Grow Impact, a workshop we presented in partnership with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations' Scaling What Works initiative. Author: Johanna Morariu, Innovation Network, Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Apr 1, 2012 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (419.72 KB) -
THEORY OF CHANGE FOR FUNDERS: PLANNING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE This report talks through three different types of theories of change, each relating to one type of funder impact:
Author: Angela Kail, Dawn Plimmer Type: Research & Reports Date: Dec 1, 2014
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Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact (TRASI) TRASI is a browsable and searchable database of approaches to impact assessment, guidelines for creating and conducting an assessment, and ready-to-use tools for measuring social change.
It features more than 150 assessment tools and resources, community networking services, and informational videos and podcasts.
Author: The Foundation Center Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 1, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link