August 20, 2010 - 6:16pm
When thinking about the outcomes of a program or service, we usually like to think about the impact on people: how their behavior, attitudes, or knowledge have changed. As I was reflecting on some client's expected outcomes this week, I realized that the word "change" is not clearly defined.
I came up with a short typology of change - I'd love your insights about whether there are other types of change that I have missed.
August 18, 2010 - 1:19pm
August 18, 2010 - 1:12pm
This is the second of a series of informational interviews on the five pro bono projects the Improve Group is working on in 2010.* These clients have a wide range of locations, missions and needs. We had several goals for our pro bono work:
- Give back to the community in a way that honors our decade of service
August 11, 2010 - 8:38pm
By Leah Goldstein Moses
Each August, the Improve Group staff takes a day out of the office to learn in depth about a topic that we’ve been addressing that year. This year, we focused on working ethically, respectfully and responsibly with people as we do our work.
July 26, 2010 - 8:15pm
Many programs delivered by the nonprofit and public sectors are designed to help change people’s lives. For example:
- A nonprofit focused on environmental justice hopes to get neighborhood residents involved in grass-roots activism, including calling policy makers, supporting candidates and monitoring environmental issues
- A county public health department has implemented a number of incentives and opportunities to increase the numbers of people who choose to walk or bike for their regular commute
July 26, 2010 - 8:11pm
December 15, 2009 - 11:19am
I went to a number of insightful presentations at Evaluation 2009 an annual conference put on by the American Evaluation Association. One very interesting session I attended was called “Accountability, Context Transparency and President Obama: Evaluation and the New Administration”. As evaluators, we believe there is great value in examining programs in a rigorous method to find value, note best practices, look for needed changes and record usable, valid data.
November 12, 2009 - 5:30pm
I had the chance to collaborate with Tom DeCaigny of Performing Arts Workshop today to share some of the lessons we've learned about evaluation in the arts. With our participants we had a great discussion about figuring out the best questions to get the information you need, helping people to be honest and courageous during an evaluation, and ways to build buy-in and support for evaluation activities.