For the second year in a row I attended a very informative and sobering presentation by the Minnesota Budget Project of the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits on the Federal Budget forecast and its implications for Minnesota. For those of you who have not attended one I highly recommend it. This year they brought back Martha Coven, Senior Legislative Associate with non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C. The Center works on “fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals.” Ms. Coven gave a great overview of the Federal Budget outlook and spoke of upcoming issues of importance and concern.

Steve Francisco, Federal Policy Director for the Minnesota Budget Project presented the local aspect, forecasting on how the U.S. budget could impact us here in Minnesota. The proposed FY2009 Budget would have a particularly negative affect on important programs for seniors, people with disabilities and low-income families. Minnesota non-profits working to sustain funding for their programs need to be seen and heard, especially by our local politicians. The Minnesota Budget Project team gave a few suggestions on how to make a difference in the budgeting process; they suggest:

• Identify and organize allies and partners
• Write a letter to the editor
• Organize a meeting with your members of Congress
• Enlist support from city, county, and state elected officials
• Join the Minnesota Budget Project

I would add, put a note in your calendar to attend this excellent session on budgeting and policy next February.

For more information see press release response on proposed budget from the Minnesota Budget Project

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The following funding opportunity has a short deadline but it was important to share it for those who qualify. Like so many of you out there, I have friends and family in the military. I am proud of them and wish them continued health in their efforts. I also have love and concern for those friends and family left behind when they are stationed away from home. The following group wants to bring some recognition to military families and their personal sacrifice.

This week’s pick: The National Military Family Association has a mission that supports families from all seven branches of the U.S. military and part of that support is to show their appreciation through programs granting awards. The Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarships are given to military families who show their finest side while facing the unique tests that come from a close relationship to a military member. “Each month, a military family that is making the most of the adventure and conquering the challenges is chosen as Family of the Month.” Families receive $500 and an additional $250 will be given to their favorite charity. In June, 2008 one family will be selected as Family of the Year and receive $1,000. Deadline for nomination acceptance is midnight, March 15, 2008. Applications and additional information can be accessed here.

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I am a history nut. I love learning from and about the past. I enjoy examining the people, events, decisions, buildings, everyday objects and just about anything else that I can find out about those who came before us. Whenever I find myself in a place that has cable I am glued to the History Channel. When I travel I explore local history. As George Santayana said,” Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That kind of perspective really appeals to the evaluator in me.

So to honor my passion for all things historical I offer this next funder:

This week’s pick: The History Channel would like to “inspire the youth in your community to become the preservationists of tomorrow.” To do this they are offering Save Our History Program grants to nonprofit history organizations and local government agencies that partner with a local school or youth group in efforts that help preserve history in their communities.

Focus of the project should be on preserving something of historical significance to a community such as a building, collection or tradition. Grants of up to $10,000 are awarded. Applications are submitted online and are due by June 6th, 2008.

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Here is a tale for anyone that has been surprised by evaluation results:

As an undergraduate student at American University, I got my first taste of “formal” evaluation by conducting an evaluation of a peer health program on campus. In its “natural” setting, the program was presented to a small group of college students; over milk and cookies, presenters would provide educational information to college students about health issues they faced. In the name of science, I recruited participants in the residence halls (bribing them with candy) and randomly assigned my participants to “treatment” (program) or “comparison” (no program) groups. After an arduous semester involving the institutional review board, coordinating program showings and tracking down college students to fill out my confidential surveys, I had finally finished.

I analyzed my results and was amazed to find that NOTHING HAPPENED! The students showed no change in attitudes or behaviors. They didn’t even show an increase in knowledge! It was hard for me to believe that a program I cared so greatly about did not work.

I have since learned my findings were more complex than I first thought. There are two main explanations for null results in evaluation: 1) the program really did not have any impact on the intended outcomes or 2) the program could have had impact on the intended outcomes, but my evaluation design and instruments did not capture these findings.

It is quite possible that my program did not have an impact on students’ knowledge, attitude or behaviors around health issues. It was one hour-long program in a busy semester for students. Another possibility is that the program did have impact on the intended outcomes, but they faded over time. Perhaps if I had administered the surveys immediately after the program, I would have seen improvements in attitudes or knowledge.

The goal of my project was to learn about research design, and in that sense, the project was a success. I also learned anticipate when an evaluation may have the most impact and design the evaluation accordingly. Please watch my Research Tidbits column for more information about evaluation timing. If you have any similar evaluation stories to share, I’d love to hear them!

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My family is still in recovery mode from spending December in the hospital where they were operating on my son Alex and that has kept the subject of health care foremost on my mind. I feel there are a lot of miraculous things coming from caring staff and skilled professionals in our hospitals. I was amazed at the way the ICU works and how many decisions have to be made in the right order to come to the right results. So, this week I’d like to share a funder that offers an award to recognize outstanding hospitals and their connection to our community.

This week’s pick: The Foster M. McGraw Prize was established in 1986 to identify and honor hospitals that “have distinguished themselves through efforts to improve the health and well-being of everyone in their communities.” This monetary reward of $100,000 is given out jointly by the American Hospital Association, The Baxter International Foundation and the Cardinal Health Foundation. These organizations believe that there can be a rewarding and positive relationship between hospitals and the communities they serve. To apply for this prize, your application must be received no later than April 4, 2008.

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by Leah Goldstein Moses

In our evaluation and strategic planning work, we are increasingly emphasizing "authentic" data when developing a design with our clients. What I mean by authentic data is that as often as possible, we ask people directly how they have experienced a service and changed as a result. When the people experiencing a service are young kids, or have a different language or cultural reference from the person who is doing the study, it is vitally important to check to make sure you are interpreting results correctly.

A recent study by the University of Minnesota shows the importance of authentic data in developing programs. Researchers at the medical school found that when they asked children directly about their experiences, they had very different responses then their parents.

Additional resources: Students Are Stakeholders, Too! Including Every Voice in Authentic High School Reform. Edie Holcomb.

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I often listen to the radio while writing and was startled to hear two clients in the news today.

We will be starting work with Suburban Ramsey Family Collaborative next week to conduct an evaluation of their Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative. One of the schools is featured today as a favorite teacher has been called up for active duty in Iraq.

Another one of our clients, the Department of Corrections, was also featured -- guards at Stillwater just discovered an underground tunnel intended to be used for an escape.

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In junior high school, did you ever feel like you were alone in this world, that no one really understood you? Well, welcome to the world of evaluation where being an “outsider” can be a good thing!

Outside, or external, evaluators have the ability to examine programs with a fresh perspective. In some cases, external evaluators bring more objectivity to the evaluation process as they have not developed expectations about a program’s success prior to the evaluation. External evaluators inherently have limited experience with the specific program to be evaluated. Time and time again, Improve Group staff members say that learning about the programs we evaluate is one of the best parts of our job. For some tips on when an external evaluator might be right for your organization, click here.

To effectively evaluate programs as an outsider, we must learn about the program from stakeholders, or people who have a vested interest in a program’s success. (Click here for the EPA’s glossary of the evaluation terms I discuss in this article and many, many more). Each program has many stakeholders; these can include program participants and line staff, funders, the Board of Directors or supervisory staff, government agencies and the general public.

Evaluators work with stakeholders to understand the program and develop the evaluation plan. Each group of stakeholders has different evaluation needs; sometimes the needs of one group conflict with the needs of another. Most often, it is not possible to collect all data requested due to time and budgetary constraints. Evaluators prioritize which data will be collected by identifying a primary audience and secondary audiences.

The primary audience can be any group of stakeholders. However, the funder is often the primary audience for programs that depend on outside funding. When the evaluation needs of the primary audience have been identified, evaluators must negotiate with the secondary audiences to determine which additional indicators are most important to measure. Effectively balancing stakeholder needs can be the key to a successful evaluation. Ideally, each stakeholder group will have a say in which data are collected and how the data will be used.

Note: Some of the information presented here came from an excellent presentation at the 2007 American Evaluation Conference by Kimberly Taylor of Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital. Ms. Taylor is an internal evaluator that beautifully uses and teaches the principles of evaluating like an “outsider.”

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My drive to work takes me past the airport and each day I still get a little jolt from the “Threat Level Orange” sign that is constantly lit next to the highway. In the past 3 years that I have been driving this route the sign has been on. It is unnerving, but I suppose a necessary reminder that things are not always at a comfort level we would like. This week I am highlighting a government funding opportunity that addresses threats at the nonprofit level.

This week’s pick: The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is part of a bigger effort to strengthen preparedness and is aimed at “the security of nonprofit organizations that are deemed at high risk of a potential terrorist attack and are located within one of the specific UASI-eligible urban areas.” To see the 2007 list of candidate areas click here.

Funds are meant to support security enhancements in high-risk nonprofits and also to integrate and promote nonprofit emergency preparedness into the broader state and local preparedness efforts including coordination with the Citizen Corps Council.

Each eligible nonprofit organization may apply for up to a $100,000 grant award. The 2007 FAQ sheet on this grant can be accessed here and this is the link to grant application kit.

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