The Common Outcomes Process of the United Way of Greater Houston Agency Empowerment and Program Quality Improvement Roger Durand, Ph.D. University of Houston-Clear Lake

Overview Purpose A brief history The Common Outcomes Process: Purpose and operation Global accomplishments Other, tangible results “Are United Ways doing any good?” Summary and a concluding comment

My role….. I served and continue to serve as an evaluation consultant to the United Way of Greater Houston on the “Common Outcomes Process.” Participant-observer A comparative perspective: consultant to three other United Ways

A brief history….. Its 2007 adoption married for the first time a previous United Way focus on outcomes assessment with a new emphasis on the improvement of program management. The initiation of a strong strategic planning process by CEO Ms. Anna Babin A history and culture of collaboration between the UWGH and provider agencies. Encouragement by external consultant, Mike Hendricks, of a common outcomes emphasis and a collaborative approach to program assessment and management at the UWGH

The Common Outcomes Process: Purpose and Operation The use of affinity groups – provider agencies with a shared or similar mission meet together collaborating with the UWGH to – Develop a common logic model Adopt common performance measures Compare data results Share “best practices” Examples: Senior Services; Domestic and Sexual Violence; Substance Abuse Services Purposes: A new way of conversing with funders and stakeholders about community impact. Also, encouraging conversation among like or similar agencies about best practices.

Global accomplishments The empowerment of agencies regarding evaluation Program improvement and far-reaching community change

Other, more tangible results – Part 1 Refined and well thought-out logic models based on diverse, first-hand agency experience Better quality measurement tools Mitigated “we versus they feelings” between agencies and UWGH A forum for best practices Avoidance of difficult discussions about performance goals and success standards

Other, more tangible results – Part 2 The COP took considerably more time to implement than expected Increased the burden on UWGH staff Sometimes took a long time to find a common agency ground on outcomes Uncertainty among agencies about whether it resulted in increased funding

“Are United Ways Doing Any Good?” UWGH? Yes….absolutely!! Some keys…. Visionary leadership of UWGH and its CEO Hiring Mike Hendricks and a staff recruited with considerable analytical abilities Grass roots development of data metrics, which encouraged funders and improved agency management Success bred success

Summary and a concluding comment

Some useful references…. Liliana Rodriguez-Campos and Rigoberto Rincones- Gomez, Collaborative Evaluations: Step-by-Step. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2013. Michael Quinn Patton, Developmental Evaluation. New York: The Guilford Press, 2011. David Fetterman, Empowerment Evaluation in the Digital Villages, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012.