Tips on Community Mapping

Improve Group Staff members Stacy Johnson, Jill Lipski Cain and Liz Radel Freeman recently posted on the American Evaluation Association (AEA) 365 Tip-A-Day email alerts.  Their topic is the community mapping data gathering method.  The AEA alerts highlight “hot tips, cool tricks, rad resources, and lessons learned for and from evaluators.” These tips bring new information and skill-building ideas to the wide-ranging evaluation community. 

The community mapping topic was first presented by Jill and Stacy at the 2011 AEA Annual Conference. If you are interested in collaborative, effective and creative ways to engage stakeholders in the data collection process you can read the Tip here.  To view the entire community mapping PowerPoint presentation by the Improve Group, including mapping examples from our Minnesota State Health Improvement Program (SHIP) client project, click here and then on the attachment.

Planting the Seeds of a Healthy Workplace by Liz Radel Freeman

In honor of the upcoming Earth Day (April 22), the Improve Group’s Workplace Environment (WE) Committee is launching an initiative for the month of April called “Planting the Seeds of a Healthy Workplace.”  Each week, WE Committee members (Susan, Jessica, Samantha and Liz) will be introducing staff to a new activity or challenge to encourage us all to be a little more green.

We’re launching the initiative with a week of building awareness.  We’re asking all of our staff to keep an eye out for their coworker’s “green” successes from saving recycling from the trash to using non-motorized transportation methods. WE committee members will be distributing veggie and flower seed packets to staff in recognition of their green behaviors.  We will all work toward the honor of being named the “greenest” IG staff. Stay tuned for more info!

Huffington Post prints IG-gathered data for NPHRS Employment Survey

The Improve Group has recently been working with the national organization Nonprofits HR Solutions on collecting data for their 2012 Nonprofit Employment Trends Survey. Resulting information on nonprofits’ likelihood to hire in 2012 was posted in an article in the Huffington Post on March 28th.  The article entitled  Nonprofit Jobs: 43% Of Charities Plan To Hire In 2012 (Where To Look)  includes an accompanying slideshow on where recruiters go to scout out potential job applicants.

We are pleased to see this important report get this type of coverage. Congratulations to NPHRS for putting together a yearly survey on such a worthwhile topic .

Workshop Adds Creativity to the Evaluation Process

Maybe it is a survey you do every year that is starting to feel a little stale.  Maybe your organization is starting out with a fresh brand, or a new program, and you want to match that innovation to the way you approach your evaluations.  Maybe you just want the whole process to be more enjoyable. 

Join us for the 3^rd session in our evaluation series for nonprofit professionals. In Get Creative, Have Fun, and Learn Something New: Evaluate Your Programs in Innovative Ways, Leah Goldstein Moses of the Improve Group will help you to learn approaches that will engage your stakeholders in a more exciting manner.  You will gain skills on matching the right methods of collecting data to your questions, needs, and population. The knowledge shared in this lively workshop will help you design a process that is not only fun, but ensures that the information you gather is relevant and valid.

You can register for one or all of the remaining 3 sessions in this professional development series through the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits website. Workshops are held from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the Wilder Center in Saint Paul. The Get Creative session is on Wednesday, April 4^th followed by Tricks for Analyzing that will Help You Stay Focused on Impact held on April 23^rd and Share Your Results, Engage Your Stakeholders  on May 16^th.

GRANT GAZING 3.28.12 by Susan Murphy

Local funder, Best Buy Foundation, in partnership with the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, is launching a unique opportunity to create equal access for youth to learn and use latest technology.  The new program will grant funds to help build state-of-the-art Best Buy Teen Tech Centers in communities throughout the U.S.  “These tech centers will provide a creative and safe learning environment where teens can explore their own ideas and passions, develop their skills and build confidence through the use of technology.  By partnering with the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network to execute this program Best Buy’s investment will include the build out of the center, technology and funding for one year of center staff.”

The opportunity to apply for this support will begin in Chicago, Miami and Minneapolis in 2012.  One of the requirements is that the location for the center must be within an existing and successful afterschool program that already serves youth ages 13‐18.

A workshop for interested parties has already been held, but you can still download the webinar presentation here.  The deadline to apply is April 20, 2012.  For more information on eligibility and application requirements, please email contact@computerclubhouse.org or click here.

Taking Your Survey Data to the Next Level by Liz Radel Freeman

Surveys are one of the Improve Group’s most frequently used evaluation tools, and for good reason they are great way to get feedback from a large group of people.  Surveys are generally quite a cost-effective strategy, because after the initial design and launching of your survey, there’s usually minimal added cost for each survey response you receive.  Additionally, surveys are so commonly used that most people are pretty comfortable sharing their insights through a survey administered online, on paper or on the phone.

Of course, surveys also have their limitations. It can be difficult to gather many detailed questions through a survey.  If you don’t understand what the respondent meant in a particular response, you can’t immediately follow up with more questions for clarification.  In two current projects, we’ve used a two-step data collection strategy that addresses some of these concerns and results in rich qualitative and quantitative data.

We’re currently working with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to evaluate the Any Given Child program. So far, seven communities have participated in this innovative program aimed at providing all K-8 students with equitable access to arts education.  Selected communities convene a Community Arts Team (CAT), made up of 20 to 30 representatives from school districts, arts organizations, local government and philanthropy.  Over the course of a year, the CAT creates a strategic plan that uses existing resources to provide an equitable arts education for the community’s K-8 grade students.  As part of our evaluation of the program, we are administering in-depth surveys to CAT members to learn about the impact of the initiative, program strengths and opportunities for improvement. After compiling community-specific survey findings, we share these findings with three to five leaders on the CAT team and facilitate a discussion about the context and implications of survey findings. This process has resulted in rich quantitative and qualitative data that reflects the feedback of all CAT members, and provides additional insights about the evaluation questions through the leaders’ review and discussion of data.

In another current project, our team is administering the Nonprofit Employment Trends Survey^TM for Nonprofit HR Solutions, the nation’s only full-service consulting firm dedicated exclusively to meeting the human resources needs of nonprofit organizations.  Since 2007, Nonprofit HR Solutions has administered annual surveys to gauge trends in nonprofit organizations’ staffing and HR practices, including projected growth, recruitment strategies, budgeting, staffing challenges and staffing resource management.  Through our partnership for the 2012 survey, we added a new component to the Trends Survey.  After the survey closed and results were analyzed, we identified key trends that we’d like to explore more in-depth through an interview process.  After selecting the top three issues to focus on based on this year’s survey results (retention, turnover and diversity), we interviewed a sample of HR leaders about their experiences in those areas. Findings from interviews complement the Trends Survey data, as they help “tell the story” of the key trends in HR Managers’ own words.

Good Manners: Important for surveys, too! by Leah Goldstein Moses

Two survey personal experiences I had recently point out some good – and bad – practices. You may have had similar experiences.

In the first, I was asked to take a survey by my local grocery store through a notice on a receipt. I was offered a chance to win $100. The survey took less than 10 minutes. All of the questions were logical and directly related to my actual experiences in the store. In addition, I felt my answers would be valuable as I had both positive and negative feedback to give. I left my email (so that I could get my prize if I won) and was surprised that within 12 hours I got an email from the store manager with some specific ideas about how they were going to use the feedback!

In the second, I fit the demographic needed for a survey and possible focus group being advertised through a local magazine; participants would get a small thank-you prize for the survey and $200 if selected for the focus group. What happened next was confusing; I emailed and scheduled a 20-minute phone-based survey for later in the week. Then, I got a follow-up call right away. The caller said she only needed a few minutes, but after a bit of introduction about the study, she launched into what seemed like survey questions. They ranged from my age and demographics to the open ended “What do you think about banks?” I stopped the conversation after a few minutes. I ended up confused – was that the survey, or not? Was I going to be included in the focus group? Why did I get a call two days earlier than expected? I did not receive any follow-up or a thank you, and ended up reaching out to clarify that I had in fact participated in the survey.

What can we learn from these experiences?

1. Be explicit about what you are asking. If you want someone to take a survey, give them a simple way to do so.
2. If there is a prize involved, be honest – it was quite clear that I only had a chance of winning the gift card in the first survey, so I wasn’t disappointed that I did not ultimately win.
3. Keep the questions short and relevant.  In the first example, my questions were directly related to my experience and easy to answer. In the second, the questions were so big and vague that I wasn’t sure how to respond or what their intended use was.
4. If possible, follow-up after you receive the response to your survey. You can do so individually, or give people a link to results when available, including a few comments about how results will be used.

These practices will insure a better reaction to your surveys, both now and in the future if you intend to go back to the same group to do any follow-up or comparison surveys.

GRANT GAZING 3.21.12 by Susan Murphy

In an effort to focus in on high school success, college and career readiness, and reduced dropout rates in our communities, AT&T grants funding through the AT&T Aspire Local High School Impact Initiative.  Emphasis for the 2012 RFP is on:

• programs showing results for those served vs. peer groups and,
• having a stronger emphasis on underserved populations

AT&T is very interested in programs with strong, evidence based practices and data driven outcomes demonstrated to improve high school graduation rates.*  Special consideration will be given to organizations incorporating social innovation in their programs.

Project support is intended for organizations that are ready and capable of operating by the first semester of the 2012/13 school year. Payments ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 for 24 months (2012/14) are available.  To apply, a pre-qualification survey is needed. Pre-qualification closes April 18, 2012 with full RFPs due by April 27.

*The Improve Group would be interested in talking to any group needing a partner to address the need for tracking data driven outcomes and creating tools and approaches for facilitating an evidence-based program.

Intern Opening at the Improve Group

As part of our commitment to education and developing real-world skills in the job place, the Improve Group utilizes talented interns to fill crucial work responsibilities in our yearly operations.  We are currently searching for a summer intern.  We provide a strong learning environment with hands-on project work for eligible candidates. Some of the qualifications for this position include graduate –level evaluation skills, knowledge of social research, and excellent written and verbal skills.

The internship will begin in May 2012 and could be extended through the 2012-2013 school year. Applicants should be prepared to work up to 35 hours per week. Travel will be involved in this position. For full details on this opportunity see the position description. Responses are due by March 31, 2012 and must include a cover letter, writing sample and current resume.

Recent Articles on Nonprofit Boards Suggest Opportunities to Rethink Roles, Match Them to Organizational Maturity by Leah Goldstein Moses

Here is a big question: What if Boards had a totally different role? For example, what if they were no longer responsible for ANY organizational fundraising?

That question was posed to me at a National Guild conference back in November. My mind started whirling; what would that mean for WHO served on boards? What would it mean for how boards serve their organization? How would accountability be different?

Two recent articles explore the role of Boards even further. In the Nonprofit Quarterly, Julia Classen of Aurora Consulting talks about the life-cycle of organizations and the role of Boards at each step of the way:

• When first launching, the Board tends to be firmly committed to the organization, getting deeply involved in all of the day-to-day organizations. As the organization matures, the Board’s role can become more professionalized, providing targeted and specific services like financial governance and fundraising, unless….
• A crisis hits, when the Board can go into supermanagement mode, considering and addressing big questions for the organization, until…
• The organization is on stable footing and led by staff that align well with the Board’s vision, at which point the Board may focus more on ratifying decisions made by staff.

In the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Rick Moyers of the Meyer Foundation points out some key structural problems with Boards and notes that two models – one more focused on policy, another more focused on community engagement – are essentially tweaks of the existing system.

Do you serve on or work with a Board that has its own struggles? Maybe rethinking its role, along with your organization’s current needs, is warranted. How has your organization defined the role of its Board?