A Community Lightning Rod Matures into a Center for Learning, Arts, Well-being and Service by Leah Goldstein Moses

January 27, 2012 - 3:30pm
In 2007-2008, we had the pleasure of working with the Business, Arts and Recreation Center in Windom. Three big issues launched the organization:
  • A crisis. The large old Windom 1931 school building was being shut down, and was scheduled for demolition in 2000. Community members, and those who had grown up and attended school in the building, were not ready to lose it.
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Report Cards: A Tool for Programs, Their Clients, and Evaluation by Leah Goldstein Moses

January 24, 2012 - 4:54pm
Recently, we worked with Nonprofits Assistance Fund to increase the value of their Financial Needs Assessment by presenting results in a report for nonprofits. Before developing the report, the practice of Nonprofits Assistance Fund was to review the results of each assessment individually and prepare reports, presentations or summaries when asked by client organizations.
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Rewards -- and Responsibilities -- for Funders in Evaluation

Leah Goldstein Moses and Rebecca Stewart
January 18, 2012 - 8:16pm

Traditionally, many of us think of evaluation as a tool for reporting program results back to a funder. But, evaluation doesn’t stop there. Evaluation is important to funders too; it can serve a critical a role in helping funders reach their goals. Funders do have a unique position which allows them to approach evaluation from different directions; they can conduct their own evaluations, do analysis of the evaluations of their grantees, or some combination. Some things funders consider about evaluation are:

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Lessons on Creating Systems Change from SHIP by Liz Radel Freeman

January 18, 2012 - 8:15pm
For over two years, Improve Group staff has been fortunate enough to work with several of Minnesota’s Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) grantees.  Through SHIP, grantees in each of Minnesota’s 87 counties and several tribes were charged with making policy, systems and environmental changes in schools, communities, worksites and healthcare facilities to help reduce obesity and tobacco use in our State.
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Unifying Themes on Finding Creative Inspiration by Leah Goldstein Moses

January 17, 2012 - 9:31pm
What can the rest of us learn from how artists create? For those of us interested in innovation, we can learn a lot of ideas from the artistic process. A recent Guardian article included several artists describing their own way of being creative. While there are some differences (a key one seems to be between those that go with the flow and those that rely on discipline), there are some unifying themes:
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    Environment – an emerging critical factor in evaluation by Leah Goldstein Moses

    January 3, 2012 - 3:31pm
    Say you are working to change something big across a large population; for example, tobacco use, or teen pregnancy rates, or recycling habits. Traditionally, programs have been designed with the idea that knowledge and attitudes lead to behavior change (see earlier post). For example, teach people about the dangers of tobacco use, help them develop new beliefs about the health risks of tobacco use, and you will see rates fall.
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    Time for Reflection – A Critical Need for Leaders by Leah Goldstein Moses

    December 20, 2011 - 7:53pm
    What does it take to be a leader in the social sector? Our recent research with two different leadership programs – the MAP Leaders’ Circle program and Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership showed that one of the most critical needs of leaders is time to reflect. Many cited similar benefits from reflection: self-awareness, ability to master challenges when they come, and innovation.
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    Evaluator Bear December 2011 by artist Meleck Davis

    December 20, 2011 - 7:48pm
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    A Need for Evaluating Stakeholders by Leah Goldstein Moses

    December 14, 2011 - 6:43pm
    There was a recent flurry of activity on the Evaltalk listserv about the concept of stakeholders in evaluation, and how evaluators address stakeholder needs when planning an evaluation, and engage stakeholders in carrying out an evaluation.
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    Impact Evaluation Takes Control of Your Results by Leah Goldstein Moses

    November 22, 2011 - 7:09pm
    No matter how fantastic your program is, unless it is completely comprehensive (i.e., the Mars isolation experiment), other, external factors will influence how much your participants succeed.
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