Who Are Champions, What Are Their Impacts and How Do We Know Who Are Champions, What Are Their Impacts and How Do We Know? Considerations for Advocates, Funders and Evaluators Think Tank Session 292, AEA 2010 San Antonio, TX November 11, 2010 1:40-3:10pm

Organizational Research Services Facilitators Organizational Research Services www.organizationalresearch.com 206-728-0474 Sarah Stachowiak, Vice President sstachowiak@organizationalresearch.com, ext. 229 Steve Mumford, Evaluation Manager smumford@organizationalresearch.com, ext. 224 Facilitators introduce themselves, Steve describes how this topic came up (work with advocacy evaluation, specifically US Libraries) and that this will provide more fodder for an up-coming thought piece on the topic; refer to hand outs??? Note that evaluators and funders are represented on the panel; ask for show of hands of who represents funders, advocates, evaluators, possibly quick introductions depending on size of group

Overview 1:40-2:15 Facilitators set context and share lessons learned 2:15-2:50 Small group discussions around three key questions 2:50-3:10 Open discussion in large group Steve: Facilitators will begin with an overview of each of three key questions, then break into groups to discuss them (about 10 min each) with a scribe designated from each group to take notes while other group members rotate, and end with full group discussion and sharing of insights and observations (first from scribes, then from all)

Three Key Questions How are champions defined? How are champion actions and outcomes tracked and measured? What are challenges and opportunities for evaluating champions? Three key questions for measuring and evaluating champion impact towards advocacy goals Steve will discuss 1, Sarah 2, and Lance 3 based on our collecting brainstorming and experiences These are things to think about, based on our experiences and frameworks we’ve used; champions are very contextual and there may be many different ways of identifying and tracking them, so we want to learn from your experiences as well

Defining champions Notes about the term “champion”: Military origins – “People who fight for or defend a cause” Our working definition: “Individuals who intentionally take action to support a cause” Distinct from terms like advocate, partner Inclusive of terms like influencer, supporter To measure champions, you first need to come to a consensus around defining the term within the context of your work. Military origins – derived from Latin for “battlefield”, fits with language commonly used in advocacy such as “campaign” Working definition focuses on individuals external to the campaign (as opposed to internal advocates or partner organizations) and is intentionally broad to include lots of different supporters

Champion Actions Examples of actions champions might take: Serve as “public ambassador” Influence legislation Make connections Provide “behind-the-scenes” support --Deliver messages via speeches, articles, etc. --Vote, lobby --Connections to influentials, resources --Suppoer re technical expertise, strategic planning

Types of Champions Three types of champions we’ve come across: Key influencers and decision makers Leaders and key staff of partner organizations Grassroots organizers The kinds of actions they take, factors motivating them to get engaged, and the target population to influence differs, but there can be overlap. Key factors: --influence --win-win and mutual benefits --passion and number of supporters

Champion Effectiveness Some aspects of champion “quality”: Credibility/legitimacy with target population Influence over policy decisions Activation/engagement Relationship to advocacy campaign Knowledge of issue May not all be necessary to define a champion, but some factors that indicate how effective the champion might be Activation – passion/commitment, sense of urgency Relationship to campaign – are they on message?

Evaluating Champion Strategies Identify key question(s): Assessing effectiveness of organizational efforts? Assessing effectiveness of the strategy? Informing future efforts?

Sample Theory of Change

Collecting Data Collecting Data: When? Retrospective versus real-time How? Logs, Interviews Who collects information? Staff, champions, evaluator

Collecting Data Sample tool: Champion action/activity logs (completed by staff and/or champions) For each targeted partner, track the type of partner, actions taken, degree of influence, and impact of action on a regular basis

Collecting Data Sample tool: Bellwether interviews Who are key voices on the issue, has there been increased “chatter” among influentials, has the bellwether observed changes in issue stance as a result?

Some Considerations Time & availability of staff/champions Sample size Timing of data collection Validity of data Many “so that” chains between champion actions and longer-term outcomes

Some Opportunities Process of identifying and reaching out to champions can support advocacy goals Participating in data collection can have a positive impact on champions Learn about a campaign from multiple perspectives Any clarifying questions about the slides so far?

Organizational Research Services Contact Information Organizational Research Services www.organizationalresearch.com 206-728-0474 Sarah Stachowiak, Vice President sstachowiak@organizationalresearch.com, ext. 229 Steve Mumford, Evaluation Manager smumford@organizationalresearch.com, ext. 224 More ORS resources available on the “Publications & Resources” page of our website: “Pathways for Change: 6 Theories about How Policy Change Happens” “A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy” “A Handbook of Data Collection Tools: A Companion to ‘Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy’” Invite participants to provide contact info to receive final version of brief on this topic Final brief will include more complete list of resources available; please let us know of any publications you found helpful that we could reference and include