Browse development Resources
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Putting the system back into systems change: A framework for understanding and changing organizational and community systems This paper provides one framework—grounded in systems thinking and change literatures—for understanding and identifying the fundamental system parts and interdependencies that can help to explain system functioning and leverage systems change. The proposed framework highlights the importance of attending to both the deep and apparent structures within a system as well as the interactions and interdependencies among these system parts. Author: Pennie G. Foster-Fishman, Branda Nowell, Huilan Yang Type: Research & Reports Date: May 18, 2007 Be the first to review this resource! Download (381.29 KB) -
Rapid Evaluation The purpose of this guide is to introduce the basic concepts and methods used in rapid evaluations (REs), and to demonstrate how this approach can be applied to the various stages of program development and implementation.
It covers inportant terms/definition, when to use REs, advantages and disadvantages of REs, the five elements of an RE, and provides additional reading resources.
Author: The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Download (272.44 KB) -
Report: "Ten Considerations for Advocacy Evaluation Planning: Lessons Learned from KIDS COUNT Grantee Experiences" The Annie E. Casey Foundation and Organizational Research Services, Inc. detail ten lessons learned from an evaluation of five KIDS COUNT grantees that began in 2007. The evaluation was designed to test some of the ideas presented in "A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy", a report produced by AECF and ORS in 2006. Author: Organizational Research Services Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 1, 2009 Be the first to review this resource! Download (289.93 KB) -
Report: "What Makes an Effective Advocacy Organization? A Framework for Determining Advocacy Capacity" TCC Group's Jared Raynor, Peter York and Shao-Chee Sim authored "What Makes an Effective Advocacy Organization? A Framework for Determining Advocacy Capacity" based on TCC's evaluation of a cohort of advocacy groups funded by The California Endowment. Author: TCC Group Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 1, 2009 Be the first to review this resource! Download (5.81 MB) -
Sample Size Calculator This online sample size calculator can help you rapidly estimate how large your sample needs to be to compensate for different margins of error and confidence levels. Free and easy to use, the page also includes good introductory information on how to apply the resource. Author: Raosoft Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 1, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Seeing the Forest (Beyond the Trees): Learning Across the Experiences of Seven Advocacy Evaluators [Slides] Advocacy and policy change evaluation continues to evolve and mature--from a fledgling field a few years ago to the flourishing field of today. Evaluators are advancing as well, developing an increasingly robust collective understanding about what works for advocacy evaluation. In this session a diverse group of seven advocacy evaluators explored and synthesized observations drawn from an array of real-world experiences. Panelists spoke to targeted questions, weaving in their wealth of experience and examples. Author: Johanna Morariu, Jara Dean-Coffey, Tom Kelly, Claire Hutchings, David Devlin Foltz, Robin Kane, Jared Raynor, Anne Gienapp, Type: Presentation Slides Date: Oct 19, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Social Movements and Philanthropy: How Foundations Can Support Movement Building Building on research conducted for the California Endowment, this article describes five core movement-building elements and provides a framework for activities that foundations can support to foster movement building. Movement building presents unique challenges to foundations. Because movements, by definition, must be driven by the people who are most affected, foundations cannot determine the goals and timetables of a movement. Foundation investments in movements are just that – investments for the long term. Author: Barbara Masters, M.A., and Torie Osborn, M.B.A. Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Oct 2, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Download (326.55 KB) -
Software for Nonprofit Evaluation and Case Management Many systems exist to manage the wealth of data nonprofits collect. As part of our evaluation consulting work, Innovation Network team members are often asked to recommend systems to our nonprofit clients. The purpose of this document is to share with the field our most recent scan of existing software (a/o January 2010). We hope this information is helpful to you, and we encourage you to contact us with feedback. Author: Johanna Morariu, Innovation Network, Inc. Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 31, 2010 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (86.51 KB) -
Sourcebook for Evaluating Global and Regional Partnership Programs: Indicative Principles and Standards The purpose of the indicative principles and standards contained in this Sourcebook is to help improve the independence and quality of program-level evaluations of GRPPs in order to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of the programs. The principal audiences for the Soucebook are the governing bodies and management units of GRPPs, as well as professional evaluators involved in the evaluation of these programs. Author: Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2007 Be the first to review this resource! Download (833.37 KB) -
State of Evaluation - Russian translation The Project: Nonprofits hear a lot of talk about evaluation these days—metrics and measurements, indicators and impact, efficiency and effectiveness. Everyone, from donors to board members, seems to want evaluation results. But there was a big knowledge gap around evaluation practice: What are nonprofits really doing to evaluate their work? How are they really using evaluation results? What support are they getting? What else do they need?
Author: Innovation Network Type: Research & Reports Date: Feb 3, 2011 Be the first to review this resource! Download (6.78 MB) -
State of Evaluation in the Social Sector Measurement, evaluation, and learning are hotter than ever in the social sector. Foundations and nonprofits are focused on answering the question What difference are we making? And the field of evaluation has advanced in promising ways, developing meaningful evaluation approaches to better fit the latest philanthropic and nonprofit strategies. Author: Johanna Morariu and Will Fenn Type: Templates & Samples Date: Mar 21, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
State of Evaluation: Evaluation Practice and Capacity in the Nonprofit Sector [Slides] At the Friday Forum for the International Development Program at American University, Johanna Morariu and Ann K. Emery presented on the practice of evaluation in the non-profit sector. They covered the basics of evaluation, the major findings of the State of Evaluation, evaluation capacity, and other related research.Author: Johanna Morariu and Ann K. Emery Type: Presentation Slides Date: Mar 22, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
State of the Field: Updated, Longitudal Findings about Nonprofit and Philanthropic Evaluation Practices and Capacities [Slides] The State of Evaluation project provides valuable insight to all those who work in and with the nonprofit sector. The project is designed to collect longitudinal data to document evaluation trends in the U.S. nonprofit sector, including how nonprofits staff evaluation, how evaluation is funded, why evaluation is undertaken, how evaluation results are used, and much more. This year marks the beginning of longitudinal data and analysis, drawing from the first iteration of the project in 2010. Author: Johanna Morariu Type: Presentation Slides Date: Oct 27, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Strategy Development: Key Questions for Developing an Advocacy Strategy In this strategy discussion publication, the author clarifies the difference between tactics and strategies, and offers nine questions that are part of an effective strategy:
- OBJECTIVES: What do you want?
- AUDIENCES: Who can give it to you?
- MESSAGE: What do they need to hear?
- MESSENGERS: Who do they need to hear it from?
- RESOURCES: What have we got?
- GAPS: What do we need to develop?
- FIRST EFFORTS: How do we begin?
- EVALUATION: How do we tell if it's working?
Author: Shultz, Jim Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 1, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Strengthening Anti-Hunger Advocacy in California: Evaluation of the California Nutrition Initiative 1998-2001 MAZON launched the California Nutrition Initiative (CNI) in 1998. The CNI’s purpose was "to improve the nutritional health and well-being of low-income Californians by strengthening the capacity of the state’s non-profit and anti-hunger network." This evaluation report on the projects first four years identifies strategies that could be used to replicate MAZON's successes, including network development and awareness-building. Author: Leventhal/Kline Management Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Jun 1, 2003 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.32 MB) -
Summary of Expert Interview Findings for Evaluating Policy and Advocacy Organizational Effectiveness This report summarizes TCC’s recent interview findings with selected policy advocacy experts (such as funders, researchers, consultants and practitioners) as well as a literature review of recent research. Drawing from its own work in organizational development and organizational effectiveness, TCC probed experts around four capacities TCC has found to be central to organizational effectiveness (leadership, adaptive, management and technical). The primary purpose of the research was to understand how the framework applies specifically to effective advocacy organizations. Author: TCC Group Type: Research & Reports Date: Jun 28, 2006
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SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats The Community Tool Box is a service of the Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas. Their SWOT Guide is comprehensive, user friendly and a great resource for any evaluator within the public health or community development field.
Author: The Community Tool Box Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 1, 2014 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
System Mapping: A Case Example Innovation Network's Ehren Reed introduced this handout at a panel titled "Body of Evidence or Firsthand Experience? Evaluation of Two Concurrent and Overlapping Advocacy Initiatives" at the 2009 American Evaluation Association conference. The handout demonstrates the concept of system mapping using a simplified version of a map produced as part of an advocacy evaluation capacity building project for CARE USA.
Author: Innovation Network, Inc. Type: Templates & Samples Date: Nov 1, 2009 Be the first to review this resource! Download (143.92 KB) -
The 6 D's of Needs Assessments This handy one-page tipsheet outlines the six D's that need to be answered for a successful Needs Assessment:
- Deficit
- Develop
- Describe
- Desires
- Duplication
- Demand
Author: Community Soplutions Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Jan 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.47 MB) -
The Communication Initiative Network An extensive website of resources related to communication for development, with a strongly international reach. Available topics include baseline data, programme experience, evaluation and planning methodologies, theories of change, and more. The site also offers active discussion forums and an e-newsletter, The Drum Beat.
Author: The Communication Initiative Network Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 18, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
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 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 Conference is Over, Now What? Professional Development for Novice Evaluators (Presentation handout) Are you a recent graduate or novice evaluator? If so, cheers to your first few years in the evaluation field! Your professional development is just beginning.
Author: Ann K. Emery Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Oct 18, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (547.8 KB) -
The Evaluation Checklist Project Th site provides Author: The Evaluation Center of Western Michigan University Type: Templates & Samples Date: Jun 30, 2010 Point K Pick
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The Four Phases to Designing & Writing a Comprehensive Grant This conceptual model gives the four phases to consider when trying to develop a comprehensive grant proposal because you can't just "sit down and start writing" a grant. Researching Funding, Designing your Project, Technical Grant Writing, and Evaluation are the four key areas to consider in this model. The model is a basis for more in-depth work that is further explained in four separate PowerPoint presentations (with handouts). For more information contact info@bpcwi.com.
Author: Nicole Bowman Type: Templates & Samples Date: Feb 12, 2014 Be the first to review this resource! Download (121.35 KB)