Making Outcomes Matter

Supports

1. Identify indicators of success for the initiative.

• The group has specific agreed upon outcomes to guide the work of the initiative.
• There is a clear audience or identified stakeholders who care about the outcomes of the initiative.
• The group has identified the key questions of interest for each identified target audience.

Core Supports:

• Our Model for Community Change and Improvement
• Working Together for Healthier Communities: A Framework for Collaboration among Community Partnerships, Support Organizations, and Funders
• Some Lessons Learned on Community Organization and Change
• Other Models for Promoting Community Health and Development
• Developing a Logic Model or Theory of Change
• Asset Development
• Introduction to Evaluation
• Developing an Evaluation Plan
• Some Methods for Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives
• Measuring Success: Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives
• Conducting Interviews with Key Participants to Analyze Critical Events
• Gathering and Using Community-Level Indicators

2. Specify reporting requirements about the activities and outcomes of the initiative.

• The group regularly communicates or reports the progress or status of the initiative internally to key leaders, members, and partners of the initiative.
• The group is responsible for regularly communicating or providing reports regarding the progress of the initiative to important external audiences.
• There are clear expectations and conditions for communicating or reporting the outcomes of the initiative to key stakeholders and target audiences.

Core Supports:

• Introduction to Evaluation
• A Framework for Program Evaluation: A Gateway to Tools
• Managing Finances
• Handling Accounting
• Understanding Nonprofit Status and Tax Exemption
• Creating a Financial and Audit Committee
• Planning for Long-Term Institutionalization
• Acquiring Public Funding

3. Use incentives and disincentives to encourage outstanding implementation of activities and improvement in outcomes.

• The group has clearly established consequences associated with the performance or actions of the group.
• There are clear consequences including incentives and disincentives associated with the attainment of the initiative's outcomes.
• The group has identified the appropriate conditions for which the use of incentives and disincentives would enhance the efforts of the initiative.
• The group has identified incentives or disincentives that are appropriate to be used by the initiative.
• The group has identified the appropriate level within the initiative to use incentives or disincentives.
• The rewards for the group are administered or supported by key stakeholders in positions of relative influence or authority for the initiative.
• The group has incentives and disincentives to support the work of the initiative at multiple levels of the initiative.
• The distribution or allocation of rewards is appropriate for the initiative’s current stage of development.
• There is a timeline or schedule associated with the distribution or allocation of the majority of incentives and disincentives related to the efforts of the initiative.
• The incentives or disincentives that are used matter to the group receiving the rewards.
• The distribution of identified incentives/disincentives is based on the attainment of the intended objectives.

Core Supports:

• Our Model for Community Change and Improvement
• Our Evaluation Model: Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives
• Working Together for Healthier Communities: A Framework for Collaboration among Community Partnerships, Support Organizations, and Funders
• Assessing Community Needs and Resources
• Leading a Community Dialogue on Building a Healthy Community
• Providing Encouragement and Education
• Reframing the Issue
• Introduction to Evaluation
• A Framework for Program Evaluation: A Gateway to Tools
• Some Methods for Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives
• Constituent Survey of Outcomes: Ratings of Importance

4. Develop a system for documenting and providing feedback to monitor the activities and outcomes of the initiative.

• The group documents the activities (implementation of the intervention) or efforts of the initiative in addressing the issue.
• The group collects longer-term indicators or outcomes measures.
• The group, including both the staff and board members, regularly review the evaluation questions and documented data to assess the progress of the initiative.
• The group regularly shares and communicates data to key stakeholders and others with a stake in the initiative’s success.

Core Supports:

• Our Model for Community Change and Improvement
• Our Evaluation Model: Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives
• Working Together for Healthier Communities: A Framework for Collaboration among Community Partnerships, Support Organizations, and Funders
• Other Models for Promoting Community Health and Development
• PRECEDE/PROCEED
• Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities
• Changing Policies
• Changing Policies: An Overview
• Introduction to Evaluation
• Developing an Evaluation Plan
• Participatory Evaluation
• Some Methods for Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives
• Gathering Information: Monitoring Your Progress
• Maintaining Quality Performance
• Achieving and Maintaining Quality Performance
• Social Marketing of Successful Components of the Initiative
• Supporting and Maintaining Behavior Change

5. Arrange celebrations and public recognition for those who bring about change and improvement.

• The group regularly celebrates the progress of the initiative in attaining anticipated outcomes.
• The group regularly provides formal recognition for stakeholders for their contribution towards progress in attaining outcomes.

Core Supports:

• Our Model for Community Change and Improvement
• Working Together for Healthier Communities: A Framework for Collaboration among Community Partnerships, Support Organizations, and Funders
• Choosing Strategies to Promote Community Health and Development
• Strategies for Community Change and Improvement: An Overview
• Rewarding Accomplishments