Browse theory of change Resources
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The Advocacy Strategy Framework This brief offers a simple one-page tool for thinking about the theories of change that underlie public policy advocacy strategies.
It first presents the tool and then offers six questions that advocates, and funders working with advocates, can work through to better articulate their theories of change. The tool—labeled the advocacy strategy framework—has several advantages over more familiar linear box-and-arrow theory-of-change tools:
Author: Julia Coffman and Tanya Beer Type: Research & Reports Date: Mar 1, 2015 Be the first to review this resource! Download (365.89 KB) -
The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities The paper is designed to outline an approach to policy change evaluation grounded in the experience of experts and foundation colleagues. (See Appendix A for the research methodology.) This paper first posits three key priorities in evaluating policy change work, drawn from interviews with grantees and staff from The California Endowment on their needs concerning policy change evaluation. It also discusses the challenges inherent in monitoring and assessing these types of grants.
Author: Commissioned by The California Endowment. Researched and Written by Blueprint Research and Design, Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2005 Be the first to review this resource! Download (2.84 MB) -
The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities Part II After "The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities" was published, the California Endowment Fund vetted the report findings and determined how to implement its recommendaions by convening a small group of foundation staff, grantees, and evaluators to engage in a series of discussions on the main themes of the report.
Author: Researched and written by Blueprint Research & Design, Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2006 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.51 MB) -
The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities: Part II - Moving from Theory to Practice This report synthesizes the results of a series of discussions that were a response to Blueprint's October 2005 report, "The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities: Strategies for a Prospective Evaluation Approach" (q.v.) The discussions centered on three key themes of the 2005 publication:
- developing a theory of change,
- defining benchmarks and indicators and collecting data, and
- using findings.
This report is organized into two broad sections:
Author: Blueprint Research & Design Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2006
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The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities: Strategies for a Prospective Evaluation Approach This publication begins with an overview of the advocacy evaluation field, noting challenges to evaluating advocacy, the current state of advocacy evaluation, and guiding principles for policy change evaluation. The report goes on to outline a "prospective evaluation approach" which (in contrast to a retrospective approach) allows evaluation to become a management and planning tool. The prospective advocacy evaluation approach involves four steps:
Author: Blueprint Research & Design Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Oct 1, 2006
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The Community Builder’s Approach to Theory of Change: A Practical Guide to Theory Development The Community Builder’s Approach to Theory of Change is a practical guide about theory of change development, and includes a toolbox of examples. Author: Andrea A. Anderson, Ph.D. Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2000 Be the first to review this resource! Download (532.38 KB) -
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 Assessment: A Cheat Sheet The Theory of Change Assessment: Cheat Sheet tool can be used to conduct an analysis of a theory of change. The tool walks users through elements common to theories of change, and offers considerations for conducting the assessment. Suggestions for use include:
Author: Ehren Reed Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Apr 1, 2011 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (110.62 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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Theory of Change Glossary A theory of change is a document created to communication the strategies, activities, outcomes, and other elements on nonprofit and philanthropic initiatives. Various terms can be used to describe the components of a theory of change. This is one glossary that seeks to define many of the common elements contained within a theory of change.
Author: Community Resource Exchange and Hunter Consulting, LLC Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Dec 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (187.53 KB) -
Theory of Change: A Practical Tool for Action, Results and Learning Every community needs a roadmap for change. A theory of change (TOC) outlines how to create that change. It is an essential part of a successful community transformation effort. This manual, created for the Casey Foundation's Making Connections initiative, defines theory of change using Casey's impact, influence and leverage platform, and shows community advocates how to create their own TOC by showing the relationships between outcomes, assumptions, strategies and results.
Author: Annie E. Casey Foundation and Organizational Research Services (ORS) Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jun 4, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (369.64 KB)