| by Simone Parrish, Knowledge Manager, Innovation
Network, Inc.
Tools and Tips
Part Four
Advocacy evaluation, as we've noted earlier, is a relatively
new discipline, but the field is growing fast. Several resources
are available for nonprofits and funders seeking to evaluate
advocacy work. Innovation Network has collected over 100
free resources online (visit www.innonet.org/advocacy for
more information). Here are a few of our top picks.
The
Challenge of Assessing Advocacy and Advocacy Activities:
Strategies for a Prospective Evaluation Approach
In this 2005 report prepared for The California
Endowment, Blueprint Research & Design offers an overview
of the advocacy evaluation field, noting challenges to evaluating
advocacy, the current state of advocacy evaluation, and guiding
principles for policy change evaluation. The report also
discusses the benefits of "prospective" or forward-looking
evaluation techniques for advocacy efforts.
The
Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities:
Moving from Theory to Practice
In this companion piece to the report above,
Blueprint presents recommendations and suggestions compiled
from feedback to the original report. Particular emphasis
is given to the process of developing a theory of change,
defining benchmarks and indicators, collecting data, and
using findings.
The
California Endowment Advocacy General Operating Support
Evaluation: Summary of Expert Interview Findings
This report, to which we referred in Part Two
of this series, is the TCC Group's summary of the particular
characteristics and capacities common to successful advocacy
organizations.
The
Advocacy & Policy Change Composite Logic Model
The Advocacy and Policy Change Composite Logic
Model addresses a common question about advocacy evaluation:
What kinds of outcomes can or should be measured, other than
achievement of a public policy goal? The Composite Logic
Model offers a detailed menu of items for building a logic
model relevant to a user's work. It was developed by Julia
Coffman from Harvard Family Research Project, Astrid Hendricks
and Barbara Masters from The California Endowment, Jackie
Williams Kaye from The Atlantic Philanthropies, and Tom Kelly
from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. More than 50 funders,
evaluators, and advocates also lent their expertise to refine
the Model.
Related Links:
Article
about the Composite Logic Model
Abstract,
with links to related materials
Continuous
Progress: The Advocacy Progress Planner (APP)
Based on the "Advocacy & Policy Change Composite
Logic Model," this free online tool became available in September
2007 at the Continuous Progress website. The APP gives advocates
an at-a-glance look at the some of the building blocks of
a campaign, such as goals and potential impacts, activities
and tactics, and benchmarks. The end result is a tidy logic
model that can be used as a planning document and as a basis
for ongoing evaluation and learning.
A
Handbook of Data Collection Tools
Organizational Research Services developed this
handbook in connection with a report to the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, "A
Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy". The tools included
in the handbook have been used in real-world advocacy evaluation
efforts. They are applicable to advocacy work aiming for
outcomes in six areas: Shifts in Social Norms, Strengthened
Organizational Capacity, Strengthened Alliances, Strengthened
Base of Support, Improved Policies, and Changes in Impact.
For more resources for advocacy evaluation, visit www.innonet.org/advocacy. |
