A Handbook of Data Collection Tools: Companion to "A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy"

This handbook of data collection tools is intended to serve as a companion to A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy. Organizational Research Services (ORS) developed this guide on behalf of the Annie E. Casey Foundation to support efforts to develop and implement an evaluation of advocacy and policy work. The companion handbook is dedicated to providing examples of practical tools and processes for collecting useful information from policy and advocacy efforts. Included within this handbook are a legislative process tracking log, a meeting observation checklist, a policy brief stakeholder survey, a policy tracking analysis tool, and a policy tracking form.This best practice provides an approach to measure advocacy and policy change efforts, starting with a theory of change, identifying outcome categories, and selecting practical approaches to measurement

A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy

The overall purpose of this guide is twofold. To help grantmakers think about and talk about measurement of advocacy and policy, this guide puts forth a framework for naming outcomes associated with advocacy and policy work as well as directions for evaluation design. The framework is intended to provide a common way to identify and talk about outcomes, providing philanthropic and non-profit audiences an opportunity to react to, refine and adopt the outcome categories presented. In addition, grantmakers can consider some key directions for evaluation design that include a broad range of methodologies, intensities, audiences, timeframes and purposes. Included in the guide are a tool to measure improved policies, a tool to measure a strengthened base of public support, and a survey to measure community members' perceptions about the prioritization of issues

Developing a Theory of Change: Practical Guidance (Part 4)

This guide is designed to help funders and those who implement programs realize their ambitious social change efforts. It explores theory of change models, processes and products as well as key theory of change concepts, benefits and limitations.A theory of change is both a conceptual model and a concrete product that reflects the model. A fundamental component of any large-scale social change effort, theory of change can help teams strengthen strategies and maximize results by charting out the work ahead, what success looks like and how to get there.Developing a theory of change model involves making explicit collective assumptions about how a change will unfold. This work can help the funders and leaders of a social change effort clearly articulate their objectives, discuss equity considerations, define roles of decision-making authority and enable useful measurement and learning.A theory of change serves as a good basis for measurement, experimentation and learning. It can help teams test assumptions related to adapting and implementing strategies and clarify complicated pathways to change. For approaches that are complex — where the operating environment is fluid and unpredictable and may influence a strategy or its implementation in an unknown way — a theory of change is an especially important tool. It serves as a compass, illuminating the desired goals, informing adaptations and identifying opportunities for meaningful measurement.The guide is organized into four parts.Part one, covered in this entry, introduces theory of change work including its benefits, considerations and limitations. Part two delivers step-by-step guidance — including considerations, exercises and examples — to aid program leaders in articulating and documenting a useful, equitable theory of change. Part three offers fillable theory of change templates that can help teams record their theory of change components, assumptions and audiences. Part four offers examples of theory of change models

Developing a Theory of Change: Practical Guidance (Part I)

This guide is designed to help funders and those who implement programs realize their ambitious social change efforts. It explores theory of change models, processes and products as well as key theory of change concepts, benefits and limitations.A theory of change is both a conceptual model and a concrete product that reflects the model. A fundamental component of any large-scale social change effort, theory of change can help teams strengthen strategies and maximize results by charting out the work ahead, what success looks like and how to get there.Developing a theory of change model involves making explicit collective assumptions about how a change will unfold. This work can help the funders and leaders of a social change effort clearly articulate their objectives, discuss equity considerations, define roles of decision-making authority and enable useful measurement and learning.A theory of change serves as a good basis for measurement, experimentation and learning. It can help teams test assumptions related to adapting and implementing strategies and clarify complicated pathways to change. For approaches that are complex — where the operating environment is fluid and unpredictable and may influence a strategy or its implementation in an unknown way — a theory of change is an especially important tool. It serves as a compass, illuminating the desired goals, informing adaptations and identifying opportunities for meaningful measurement.The guide is organized into four parts.Part one, covered in this entry, introduces theory of change work including its benefits, considerations and limitations. Part two delivers step-by-step guidance — including considerations, exercises and examples — to aid program leaders in articulating and documenting a useful, equitable theory of change. Part three offers fillable theory of change templates that can help teams record their theory of change components, assumptions and audiences. Part four offers examples of theory of change models

Developing a Theory of Change: Practical Guidance (Part 3)

This guide is designed to help funders and those who implement programs realize their ambitious social change efforts. It explores theory of change models, processes and products as well as key theory of change concepts, benefits and limitations.A theory of change is both a conceptual model and a concrete product that reflects the model. A fundamental component of any large-scale social change effort, theory of change can help teams strengthen strategies and maximize results by charting out the work ahead, what success looks like and how to get there.Developing a theory of change model involves making explicit collective assumptions about how a change will unfold. This work can help the funders and leaders of a social change effort clearly articulate their objectives, discuss equity considerations, define roles of decision-making authority and enable useful measurement and learning.A theory of change serves as a good basis for measurement, experimentation and learning. It can help teams test assumptions related to adapting and implementing strategies and clarify complicated pathways to change. For approaches that are complex — where the operating environment is fluid and unpredictable and may influence a strategy or its implementation in an unknown way — a theory of change is an especially important tool. It serves as a compass, illuminating the desired goals, informing adaptations and identifying opportunities for meaningful measurement.The guide is organized into four parts.Part one, covered in this entry, introduces theory of change work including its benefits, considerations and limitations. Part two delivers step-by-step guidance — including considerations, exercises and examples — to aid program leaders in articulating and documenting a useful, equitable theory of change. Part three offers fillable theory of change templates that can help teams record their theory of change components, assumptions and audiences. Part four offers examples of theory of change models

Developing a Theory of Change: Practical Guidance (Part 2)

This guide is designed to help funders and those who implement programs realize their ambitious social change efforts. It explores theory of change models, processes and products as well as key theory of change concepts, benefits and limitations.A theory of change is both a conceptual model and a concrete product that reflects the model. A fundamental component of any large-scale social change effort, theory of change can help teams strengthen strategies and maximize results by charting out the work ahead, what success looks like and how to get there.Developing a theory of change model involves making explicit collective assumptions about how a change will unfold. This work can help the funders and leaders of a social change effort clearly articulate their objectives, discuss equity considerations, define roles of decision-making authority and enable useful measurement and learning.A theory of change serves as a good basis for measurement, experimentation and learning. It can help teams test assumptions related to adapting and implementing strategies and clarify complicated pathways to change. For approaches that are complex — where the operating environment is fluid and unpredictable and may influence a strategy or its implementation in an unknown way — a theory of change is an especially important tool. It serves as a compass, illuminating the desired goals, informing adaptations and identifying opportunities for meaningful measurement.The guide is organized into four parts.Part one, covered in this entry, introduces theory of change work including its benefits, considerations and limitations. Part two delivers step-by-step guidance — including considerations, exercises and examples — to aid program leaders in articulating and documenting a useful, equitable theory of change. Part three offers fillable theory of change templates that can help teams record their theory of change components, assumptions and audiences. Part four offers examples of theory of change models

The Legacy of a Philanthropic Exit: Lessons From the Evaluation of the Hewlett Foundation’s Nuclear Security Initiative

As its seven-year Nuclear Security Initiative wound down in late 2014, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation engaged ORS Impact to conduct a summative evaluation. That evaluation yielded insights pertinent to future work on nuclear security and other fields where policy-related investments, strategies, and goals are prioritized, as well as insights regarding Hewlett’s approach to the initiative exit. During the life of the initiative, significant changes in the geopolitical landscape influenced both the relevance and the expected pace of advancement of its established goals and targets. Rather than focusing on whether identified targets had been achieved in a narrow “success/failure” framework, the evaluation explored where and how Hewlett’s investments and actions made a difference and where meaningful progress occurred over the seven years of investment. Evaluation findings highlighted contributions and areas of progress that had not been explicitly anticipated or specifically identified in the initiative’s theory of change. This article describes the initiative and its theory of change, evaluation methods and approaches, findings, and how these informed the foundation’s planning for initiative exits and approach to measurement of time-bound investments. Although time-bound philanthropic initiatives are a well-established practice, the approach merits closer examination in order to discern effective ways to implement, evaluate, and wind down these types of investments

Theory of Change: A Practical Tool For Action, Results and Learning

Every community needs a roadmap for change. Instead of bridges, avenues and freeways, this map would illustrate destinations of progress and the routes to travel on the way to achieving progress. The map would also provide commentary about assumptions, such as the final destination, the context for the map, the processes to engage in during the journey and the belief system that underlies the importance of traveling in a particular way. This type of map is called a "theory of change.

Strategic Communications for Influence: Lessons From the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Its KIDS COUNT Initiative

· This article describes how the Annie E. Casey Foundation is using the KIDS COUNT Network in a new way: as a strategic communications tool in its focused efforts toward policy change, broad social change, and improved conditions for vulnerable children and families. An outcome map illustrates links between this strategy and the intended outcomes. · Case illustrations of KIDS COUNT grantee activities surrounding the release of the 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book describe the efforts of grantees in six states where the quantity and quality of media coverage surrounding the national data book reflected the kind of coverage that Casey believes will help achieve its desired outcomes. · Strategic communications approaches such as relationships with journalists, use of locally relevant information, use of locally relevant media advocacy strategies, good preparation, and a solution orientation were present in states demonstrating desirable media coverage. · Prescribing specific communications tactics matters less than supporting the network’s general capacity to engage in year-round strategic communications approaches to create conditions (e.g., reputations, relationships) that will contribute to successful media advocacy related to a specific event such as the release of the national data book