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Indicators of Success -- Applying the TOC
What will change?You must be able to test your theory!
Local Theory of Change
The process of creating a local TOC provides a chance for the agency to “think through” where they are going and what road they will take.
It makes connections among needs, population, outcomes and services.
What are the agency’s proposed outcomes? Are they consistent with the network outcomes?
Steps in Creating a Local TOC
From draft NASCSP workbook to be used prior to the Strategic Planning
process
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Assumptions about poverty in our community:
What does your agency assume about poverty in your community?
(e.g. identify causes and conditions of poverty, how the conditions impact the people with low-income and the community at large)
Identified Needs Identifying the individual, family, community and agency needs
Please state the top three to five needs identified in your community assessment and analysis process:
Identify if these are family, agency or community level needs. Enter “f,” “a,” or “c” in the column to the right.
Of the needs above, which are integral to your agency mission? Are you already addressing these? (In the column to the right, indicate
yes or no) Of those needs that are integral to the agency mission, identify those that
require community level strategies and/or partnerships to address. Of those that are outside the immediate focus of your agency mission, are
there things you can do to contribute to community wide or other effort to address them?
Identifying outcomes:
Identify your agency Overall Outcomes (These are the outcomes that are based on the community needs and resources, the agency’s priorities and the agency planning process. They may be achieved by multiple agency strategies, which you will be asked to identify below.)
Next identify the Program Outcomes (These may be identified by program funding source or by the specific focus of the individual program. You will be asked to state how these Program Outcomes contribute to the Overall Outcomes of the agency. Note: you may have “divisions” or “departments” or other ways that you organize your programs – if so you may have outcomes associated with a set of programs that are so grouped.)
Identifying customers:
There are two kinds of customers that most agencies serve: the Service Population (those who are served, but for which no outcomes are expected) and the Target Population (for which the organization holds itself accountable for the achievement of specified outcomes).
Who are your customers? Do you document outcomes or count outputs?
Target Population or Service Population
Target population members are those that will achieve the outcomes the agency identified in its Theory of Change.
Service population members are those who receive emergency assistance or single or short term services for which little follow up is done, and little “change” in status is expected.
Service Population
“Organizations generally find it almost impossible to serve target population members only.
There are numerous reasons, including the presence of legacy programs; funder requirements; the need to maintain credibility and promote ease of access in local neighborhoods; and the desirability of having a broad base of support when engaging in advocacy.
Examples of a Service Population—youth attending a drop-in center, school-based or community-based informative workshops, a job “fair” or other collection of resources for a given topic such as health, or senior citizen services, a soup kitchen or food distribution where no follow up will be done.”
David Hunter “Working Hard and Working Well”
Identifying services and strategies:
List the services you provide or strategies in which your agency participates.
Connect the service to one or more of the outcomes you identified.
Of the customers you identified in the previous activity, indicate if they receive single or multiple services in the last column.
Service
Outcome
One Service -> One Outcome
.
Service
Service
Service
Service
Outcome
Multiple Services -> One Outcome
.
Service
Outcome
Outcome
Outcome
Outcome
One Service -> Multiple Outcomes
Service
Service
Service
Service
Service
Outcome
Outcome
Outcome
Outcome
Multiple Services -> Multiple Outcomes
.
Service
Service
Service
Service
Service
Single Service
.
Making Connections
The “thinking” that happens between the gathering and analysis of community assessment data (including agency data)
and the creation of a new year’s agency wide strategic plan is the creation of the local agency Theory of Change.
It is when you actually identify all the elements just mentioned, and can see how they all connect.
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The network’s long term goals:
Low-income people become more self-sufficient.
Communities are revitalized or thriving.
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The Six National Goals
Goal 1. Low-income people become more self-sufficient. (Family)
Goal 2. The conditions in which low-income people live are improved. (Community)
Goal 3. Low-income people own a stake in their community. (Community)
Goal 4. Partnerships among supporters and providers of
services to low-income people are achieved. (Agency)
Goal 5. Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results. (Agency)
Goal 6. Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential by strengthening family and other supportive systems. (Family)
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These are actually pre-conditions
The conditions in which low-income people live are improved producing a revitalized or thriving community. Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results – and be better able to document and analyze the changes they have supported. Low-income people own a stake in their community – to improve their own social capital and take action for community issues. Partnerships among supporters and providers of
services to low-income people are achieved – to achieve a specific purpose. Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential – to maintain or achieve stability.
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How to Improve the National Performance Indicators
Make explicit the connections between the indicators and goals.Why do we think these indicate success in the Six National Goals?
Identify the numbers of individuals, families, communities that achieved the GOALs. Have they achieved multiple indicators?
Connect the services provided with the indicators reportedIs it one service for one outcome? Many services for one outcome?
Many outcomes from one service? Clarify the population that is achieving the indicators
Target population and service populationUnduplicated count?
Identify the results of partnerships (don’t just count them).
Goal Four
Partnerships as a means for both agency level goal and also as
community level goal
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Suggested revision to Goal Four statement:
Partnerships among supporters and providers ofservices to low-income people achieve a specific purpose.
Alternate suggestion:Community Action works through
partnerships and other collective community efforts to achieve results.
Purpose could be
To improve the agency functioning Agency customers have access to other services, Partners provide resources for agency activities
To improve community conditions Agency participates in “Collective Impact” projects joins with others to increase access in low income
communities
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Outcomes of partnerships?
Sharing service Expanding services Increasing access Sharing information Create Single record
system Improved outcomes Reduce costs Expand capacity of staff
Reduce paperwork Reduce duplication of
service Reduce gaps Tracking of referral
systems (service received? Outcome achieved?)
Indicators
Current NPIs only ask for counts
Looking for support/ideas for collecting data on indicators (might be related to the outcomes just mentioned on the prior slide)
Family Level NPIs
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Target Populationand National Goals
GOAL ONE: People with low incomes become more self-
sufficient.GOAL THREE: People with low incomes who own a stake in
their community increase social capital.GOAL SIX: People with low incomes, especially vulnerable
populations, achieve stability.
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Family Indicators for Target Population
Net family household income is increased.Families reduce reliance on public benefits.Families improve status in multiple life
domains. Children meet developmentally appropriate
milestones. Vulnerable populations achieve/maintain
stability.
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Community Level NPIs
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Planning for Change
“Real, lasting community change is built around knowing where you are, where you want to be, and whether your efforts are making a difference. Indicators are a necessary ingredient for sustainable change. And the process of selecting community indicators -- who chooses, how they choose, what they choose -- is as important as the data you select.”
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, 2011, Data That Tells A Story
Community Indicators33
• Community Action addresses complex issues that relate to creating thriving communities.
• Community Action joins with stakeholders (partners) to improve conditions in low income communities.
• Communities are improved by people with low incomes having network connections, and these community networks help improve the social capital of people with low incomes.
Reporting Community Work
The agency can clearly articulate the purpose of each partnership and the expected changes that will be produced.
The agency can identify the number of partnerships that both support the agency’s activities (agency outcome) and support community change.
The agency can track its involvement in and value to community changes.
The agency records involvement of their customers (individuals with low-income) in community projects.
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Suggested revision to goal statement
GOAL TWO: Community Action joins with other community stakeholders to improve the conditions in which people with low incomes live.
Should mention of thriving or revitalized community be included?
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