Blog

Say Goodbye to Tedium by Placing Engagement at a Premium

The Improve Group

April 28, 2017 - 1:06pm

Traditional evaluation approaches can miss important information by failing to account for context or differences across communities. Using a Community-Responsive Approach to evaluation engages stakeholders for better data, better relationships, and more fun!

Ultimately, community members know their communities best.

Community members and stakeholders can provide critical input to evaluators in every stage of an evaluation – something The Improve Group has learned yields the most comprehensive and authentic findings.

It’s official! The Improve Group files first report as Public Benefit Corporation

The Improve Group

April 28, 2017 - 12:53pm

From our work around the globe to the thought we put into our new office, The Improve Group’s public benefit takes many forms. We recently described the many ways we support positive social change with our very first report as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC).

Developing Practice Areas: Market Strategies for Social Impact

Leah Goldstein Moses

March 24, 2017 - 11:29am

The Improve Group is launching new practice areas throughout 2017. These practice areas bring together staff from across The Improve Group to learn more about specific topics and develop deeper skills for applying evaluation and planning to these topics – ultimately enhancing our project work. This effort is also linked to our strategic plan in several ways, such as supporting staff interests and expanding our network of partners.

Image of a cell phone and a keyboard to symbolize potential telecommunication products

Assessing the Telecommunication Challenges that Deaf and Deafblind Minnesotans Face

Sara Stalland McGarraugh

February 24, 2017 - 1:18pm

People with a variety of communication barriers—particularly those who are Deaf, DeafBlind, or hard of hearing—can face a range of challenges in using standard telecommunications equipment. Indeed, communications barriers are part of the reason that the Deaf and DeafBlind communities have been frequently underrepresented in broader studies on social services. In order to truly understand the specific needs of these populations, researchers must use carefully designed tactics and tools that align with a range of approaches to communications.

Developing Practice Areas: Capacity Building

Leah Goldstein Moses

January 27, 2017 - 9:31am

We are very excited to announce that The Improve Group is launching new practice areas in 2017. These practice areas will bring together staff from across The Improve Group to learn more about specific topics and develop deeper skills for applying evaluation and planning to these topics – ultimately enhancing our project work. While they are just getting started, the practice areas will draw on some of the experiences and relationships we’ve already built.

The Improve Group team members volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis, MN

The Improve Group Changes to a Public Benefit Corporation

Leah Goldstein Moses

January 27, 2017 - 9:05am

New structure better reflects the mission and vision of organization

SAINT PAUL, Minn., January 27, 2017 – The Improve Group has joined a new class of for-profit corporations in Minnesota that have pledged to pursue public benefits among their primary objectives. Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs) are Minnesota’s newest form of business, designed explicitly to benefit the public through the products they sell, resources they use, and charitable and volunteer contributions they make.

Reflections on 2016

Leah Goldstein Moses

December 20, 2016 - 3:13pm

In my very favorite episode, among many, of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver gave a “friendly” send-off to 2016. There is no doubt that 2016 had its low moments. But it also brought us many, many moments worth celebrating. As the year comes to an end, we’re planning to carry those positive moments with us—along with all the lessons we learned—to start fresh in 2017. What were the highlights?

Amy Sparks creating a visual graphic to represent the discussions during our convening on Social Impact.

Exploring the Power of Social Impact

Leah Goldstein Moses

December 20, 2016 - 3:09pm

Over the last few years, the way our team thinks about social impact has been changing. We’ve been intrigued by ideas about experimentation, learning from failure, person-centered design, and market strategies for social impact. Luckily for us, many brilliant thinkers are also examining these issues:

Meeting People in their Settings – Implementing the Olmstead Quality of Life Survey

Kylie Nicholas

November 21, 2016 - 9:10am

There’s something very exciting about to happen all across the state of Minnesota! Starting next month, 8,000 Minnesotans living with a range of disabilities will be invited to participate in the Olmstead Quality of Life Survey. The survey will help State leaders better understand how to expand choices and community integration for the more than 500,000 people living with disabilities in Minnesota.

Members of PeaceMaker partner schools experiencing who demonstrated the sharpest decline in bullying rates are honored at a Twings game

Supporting Safer Schools: How Evaluation is Helping Assess the Impact of Anti-Bullying Efforts

Stacy Johnson & Dillon Balthaser

October 19, 2016 - 4:54pm

All students need and deserve a safe space in which to learn and grow. But today, approximately 22 percent of students between the ages 12-18 report being bullied at school during the school year.

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New structure better reflects the mission and vision of organization

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