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Issue 25: June 2009 The Improve Group is currently accepting resumes from interested applicants for our Business Manager position. Please see our website homepage for a link to the full job description.
In order to expand the services offered to clients of the Improve Group, we have reached out to Jay Kiedrowski current Senior Fellow and Practicing Professor at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. Jay joins us bringing with him a rich, history and work experience with Norwest/Wells Fargo, as Minnesota’s Commissioner of Finance, and as Minneapolis’s Budget Director. Leah Goldstein Moses recently interviewed Jay to give him the opportunity to introduce himself. LJGM: What expertise do you bring to your work? JK: I have three primary areas of expertise that are the focus of my work at the Humphrey Institute. 1. Public Finance, including public and nonprofit budgeting. I explore a variety of issues related to finance including capital budgeting, short-term asset management, bond issuance and management, analysis of financial statements, tax reform and analysis, cost-benefit analysis, long-range financial planning, and investment management for pension funds and endowments. 2. Organizational Development, such as strategic human resources management, organizational design and change, performance management and reporting, and cultural renewal. 3. Leadership, with a focus on personal leadership development, cross-sector leadership, leadership of an organization’s culture, and leadership for performance improvement. I enjoy and have been successful working with organizations on a results-oriented basis in the public, private and nonprofit sectors – I welcome the opportunity of helping other organizations. LJGM: What do you hope to learn or get involved in through your work with the Improve Group? JK: I’m impressed by the work the Improve Group has completed to date. I can add more financial analysis, performance measurement, organizational assessment, and leadership improvement for Improve Group clients. Because I both consult AND teach, I am looking forward to learning more about the current challenges facing organizations so that I can bring them into the classroom. Ultimately, I hope my graduate students will be better informed and prepared to work in these same organizations through these experiences. LJGM: What are some of the things with which you hope to help nonprofits and public agencies through the partnership with the Improve Group? JK: Given my 30+ year career managing governments, nonprofits and businesses, I would like to share some fundamental ways of improving leadership and management in organizations. I’ve come to call it performance management—the collective work to develop key strategies for an organization, develop financing plans and performance measures for desired outcomes, execute the plan aggressively, monitor and evaluate results, and use the results to reset the strategies to ensure success. I intend to work with the Improve Group’s consultants on any aspect of performance management to make governments and nonprofits more effective. LJGM: What do you do when you are not working with the Improve Group? JK: Professionally, in addition to teaching, I serve on a number of nonprofit boards and on several government task forces and commissions. I also get invited to speak to groups about their problems and possible solutions. For fun, I am an avid golfer since my knees can no longer take the stress of tennis. I also am a big basketball fan, and dabble in photography. Obviously a man of many talents; the Improve Group welcomes this new collaboration with Jay and looks forward to the mutual wisdom and growth he will bring to us and to our clients. |
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Within the field of evaluation and corrections, there is a debate underway regarding the best way to evaluate the success of correctional programs; specifically programs offered while participants are incarcerated. The rate of recidivism is generally the indicator of choice for funders, stakeholders and researchers. Unfortunately, there are challenges in measuring success solely on the basis of crimes committed/avoided and re-entry into the correctional system. One of the primary challenges is the obstacle of tracking participants once they have been released, who travel to a different state, or otherwise may withdraw from the study. Secondly, the timing and budget of the evaluation are strong factors in determining the scope of the project: a tight budget and time frame for an evaluation that must occur while the program is running does not allow for a comprehensive longitudinal study. Recently I worked on a project with the Minnesota Department of Corrections to evaluate a comprehensive, long-term life skills program offered at four correctional facilities in Minnesota. Within the constraints of a tight budget and timeline, we were able to determine high degrees of success in the life skills program based on impacts among participants while they were still incarcerated. Through a comprehensive evaluation design that included identifying evidence-based indicators of success, paper surveys, participant interviews and classroom observations, quantitative and qualitative data was collected that revealed strong positive changes and impacts on program participants as a result of the life skills program. In addition, disciplinary records at each facility were reviewed, revealing improvements in behavior among program participants. The question that we continue to explore with our clients is: What value exists in evaluating the success of a correctional program such as the life skills program prior to the participants’ release? Is the only true and valid way to determine success through investigating whether participants are able to avoid recidivating? I would argue that there is value in evaluating examining pre-release outcomes such as changed behavior, attitudes and knowledge. There are benefits and successes in collecting data within the contained yet protected environment of a facility, contrasted with the broad yet unpredictable environment of a community with regard to evaluation design, data sources and audiences. A carefully designed evaluation will gather data through a variety of methods and audiences that can reveal changes and impacts that will help lead participants toward success and healthy lives after release. |
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I hope we can all agree that when recovering from anything in life - financial issues, physical problems or community needs, it helps to work together. Most of us could write a book about the tough times we have made it through with the help of a friend or a community of people. My featured RFPs today are focused on teamwork and problem solving. I hope you find help with something you are working on. Community Help: Ameriprise Financial has three granting rounds each year to help improve lives and support communities. Their three key priorities are:
Areas of interest are broad and include food, shelter, cultural enrichments, disaster recovery and community development to name a few. Applications for the next grant round are due by September 1, 2009 and can be submitted online after June 30th, 2009. Note: you must live in a community where Ameriprise has a presence to be eligible. Regional Help: The Great Lakes Protection Fund is seeking “project proposals to demonstrate how new water conservation, stewardship, and management strategies create ecological outcomes.” Theses projects should be in the design phase and should last 8 to10 months. Applicants should expect awards in the $100,000 (or less) range. The five –page proposals are due by July 19, 2009. To learn more click here. Local Help: Share Our Strength presents The Great American Bake Sale grants to help fight childhood hunger by giving fund to nonprofits, schools and local government agencies who serve in two categories: Program Sponsors and Advocacy. The grants program will support efforts to increase participation among low-income children in summer and after-school meal programs. Online applications are accepted now until September 1, 2009. Grants usually range from $1,000 to $10,000. You can also learn more hear about raising funds for these efforts by organizing a Bake Sale in your community. |
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Teaming Up With Professor Jay Kiedrowski
Correctional Programs: When and how to evaluate?