Advocacy Evaluation Advances: A National Convening on Advocacy and Policy Change Evaluation
In January 2009, about 120 advocates, evaluators and funders gathered in Los Angeles at The California Endowment's Center for Healthy Communities for two days of thought-provoking presentations and discussions on Advocacy Evaluation Advances. The convening focused on recent real-life experiences with advocacy evaluation and what has been learned from testing different tools and approaches in the field. It also focused on challenges that still must be addressed, and identified priorities for the field moving forward.
Links to the agenda, framing paper and participant list follow. Available breakout session presentations in PDF format also are below. Materials will be added as they become available.
If you have any questions about the convening, please contact Julia Coffman at jcoffman@evaluationexchange.org.
>> Agenda
>> Framing Paper (PDF)
>> Framing Paper (Word)
>> Participant List
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Measuring Continuous Advocacy Progress
>> The Advocacy Progress Planner by David Devlin-Foltz, Continuous Progress Strategic Services
>> Model Advocacy Progress Planner Benchmarks by David Devlin-Foltz, Continuous Progress Strategic Services
Assessing Advocacy Capacity
>> Evaluating Organizational Advocacy Capacity: A Short-Term Measure of Success by Jared Raynor, TCC Group
>> Advocacy Core Capacity Assessment Tool (Advocacy CCAT) Report Introduction by Jared Raynor, TCC Group
>> Example Advocacy Core Capacity Assessment Tool Report by Jared Raynor, TCC Group
>> Assessing Advocacy Capacity by Hilary Binder-Aviles, Mosaica
>> Second Chance: Journey From Charity to Philanthropy to Advocate by Jo Ann Jaffe, Second Chance
Evaluating Advocacy Communications
>> Are We There Yet? A Communications Evaluation Guide, by Edith Asibey, Asibey Consulting
Evaluating Communications
>> Evaluating Online Nonprofit Advocacy Efforts by Karen Matheson, M+R Strategic Services
Developmental Evaluation
>> Developmental Evaluation by Michael Patton, Utilization-Focused Evaluation
Retrospective Case Studies
>> Retrospective Case Studies: A Tool for Learning by Colin Knox, University of Ulster, Ireland
>> Advocacy Impact Evaluation by Michael Patton in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation (2008)
Making the Case for Long Term Impact
>> For a copy of the report Strengthening Democracy, Increasing Opportunities: Impacts of Advocacy, Organizing and Civic Engagement in New Mexico from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (from the presentation by Lisa Ranghelli), go to http://ncrp.org/campaigns-research-policy/communities/gcip/new-mexico.
Building Capacity for Evaluating Advocacy
>> Brief description of the Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT Advocacy Evaluation Pilot Project by Organizational Research Services
>> Evaluation resources from Georgia Family Connection Partnership
o Overall Theory of Change Outcome Map
o Strategy 1 Theory of Change
o Strategy 2 Theory of Change
o Strategy 3 Theory of Change
o Dashboard, Points of Accountability and Data Sources
>> Evaluation resources from Children First for Oregon
o Media Release Documentation and Tracking Form
o Fostering Success” Oregon Foster Youth Connection Theory of Change
o Fostering Success” Strategic Communications Theory of Change
Advocacy Evaluation: An Inside Job
Brainerd Foundation evaluation materials:
o Strategic Framework - mission and grant-making structure
o Questions to Determine Grantee Eligibility - internal document for choosing which groups to fund
o Logic Model
o Theory of Change Map
o Evaluation Plan - an internal foundation document to help track evaluation efforts
o Progress Report Requirements - grantee questions to evaluate their own work
o Evaluation Template - template for independent or “outside” evaluators who write occasional two-page grantee evaluations
One/Northwest evaluation materials:
o Theory of Change
o Logic Model for Engagement Capacity
o Evaluation Results
Wilburforce Foundation evaluation materials:
o Logic Model
o Strategic Framework
o Effectiveness Model
Unique Methods in Advocacy Evaluation
>> Unique Methods in Advocacy Evaluation (presentation) by Julia Coffman, Harvard Family Research Project
>> Unique Methods in Advocacy Evaluation (paper) by Julia Coffman and Ehren Reed, Innovation Network
>> An Advocate’s Perspective: Ten Considerations for Effective Advocacy Evaluation by Ted Lempert, Children Now
Evaluating Public and Political Will
>> Political Will: What is It? How is it Measured? by Craig Charney, Charney Research
>> Political Will in An Evaluation of Policy Change: The Case of California Health Reform by Paul Harder, Harder + Company Community Research
>> Public Will by Peter York, TCC Group
Evaluating Community Organizing
