Indicators of Success -- Applying the TOC What will change? You must be able to test your theory!

Local Theory of Change  The process of creating a local TOC provides a chance for the agency to “think through” where they are going and what road they will take.  It makes connections among needs, population, outcomes and services.  What are the agency’s proposed outcomes? Are they consistent with the network outcomes?

Steps in Creating a Local TOC From draft NASCSP workbook to be used prior to the Strategic Planning process 4

Assumptions about poverty in our community: What does your agency assume about poverty in your community? (e.g. identify causes and conditions of poverty, how the conditions impact the people with low-income and the community at large)

Identified Needs Identifying the individual, family, community and agency needs Please state the top three to five needs identified in your community assessment and analysis process:  Identify if these are family, agency or community level needs. Enter “f,” “a,” or “c” in the column to the right.  Of the needs above, which are integral to your agency mission?  Are you already addressing these? (In the column to the right, indicate yes or no)  Of those needs that are integral to the agency mission, identify those that require community level strategies and/or partnerships to address.  Of those that are outside the immediate focus of your agency mission, are there things you can do to contribute to community wide or other effort to address them?

Identifying outcomes:  Identify your agency Overall Outcomes (These are the outcomes that are based on the community needs and resources, the agency’s priorities and the agency planning process. They may be achieved by multiple agency strategies, which you will be asked to identify below.)  Next identify the Program Outcomes (These may be identified by program funding source or by the specific focus of the individual program. You will be asked to state how these Program Outcomes contribute to the Overall Outcomes of the agency. Note: you may have “divisions” or “departments” or other ways that you organize your programs – if so you may have outcomes associated with a set of programs that are so grouped.)

Identifying customers:  There are two kinds of customers that most agencies serve: the Service Population (those who are served, but for which no outcomes are expected) and the Target Population (for which the organization holds itself accountable for the achievement of specified outcomes).  Who are your customers?  Do you document outcomes or count outputs?

Target Population or Service Population  Target population members are those that will achieve the outcomes the agency identified in its Theory of Change.  Service population members are those who receive emergency assistance or single or short term services for which little follow up is done, and little “change” in status is expected.

Service Population “Organizations generally find it almost impossible to serve target population members only. There are numerous reasons, including the presence of legacy programs; funder requirements; the need to maintain credibility and promote ease of access in local neighborhoods; and the desirability of having a broad base of support when engaging in advocacy. Examples of a Service Population—youth attending a drop-in center, school-based or community-based informative workshops, a job “fair” or other collection of resources for a given topic such as health, or senior citizen services, a soup kitchen or food distribution where no follow up will be done.” David Hunter “Working Hard and Working Well”

Identifying services and strategies:  List the services you provide or strategies in which your agency participates.  Connect the service to one or more of the outcomes you identified.  Of the customers you identified in the previous activity, indicate if they receive single or multiple services in the last column.

Service Outcome One Service -> One Outcome.

Service Outcome Multiple Services -> One Outcome.

Service Outcome One Service -> Multiple Outcomes

Service Outcome Multiple Services -> Multiple Outcomes.

Service Single Service.

Making Connections  The “thinking” that happens between the gathering and analysis of community assessment data (including agency data) and the creation of a new year’s agency wide strategic plan is the creation of the local agency Theory of Change. It is when you actually identify all the elements just mentioned, and can see how they all connect. 17

The network’s long term goals: Low-income people become more self- sufficient. Communities are revitalized or thriving. 19

The Six National Goals Goal 1. Low-income people become more self-sufficient. (Family) Goal 2. The conditions in which low-income people live are improved. (Community) Goal 3. Low-income people own a stake in their community. (Community) Goal 4. Partnerships among supporters and providers of services to low-income people are achieved. (Agency) Goal 5. Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results. (Agency) Goal 6. Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential by strengthening family and other supportive systems. (Family) 20

These are actually pre-conditions  The conditions in which low-income people live are improved producing a revitalized or thriving community.  Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results – and be better able to document and analyze the changes they have supported.  Low-income people own a stake in their community – to improve their own social capital and take action for community issues.  Partnerships among supporters and providers of services to low-income people are achieved – to achieve a specific purpose.  Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential – to maintain or achieve stability. 21

How to Improve the National Performance Indicators  Make explicit the connections between the indicators and goals. Why do we think these indicate success in the Six National Goals?  Identify the numbers of individuals, families, communities that achieved the GOALs. Have they achieved multiple indicators?  Connect the services provided with the indicators reported Is it one service for one outcome? Many services for one outcome? Many outcomes from one service?  Clarify the population that is achieving the indicators Target population and service population Unduplicated count?  Identify the results of partnerships (don’t just count them).

Goal Four Partnerships as a means for both agency level goal and also as community level goal 23

Suggested revision to Goal Four statement: Partnerships among supporters and providers of services to low-income people achieve a specific purpose. Alternate suggestion:  Community Action works through partnerships and other collective community efforts to achieve results.

Purpose could be  To improve the agency functioning  Agency customers have access to other services,  Partners provide resources for agency activities  To improve community conditions  Agency participates in “Collective Impact” projects  joins with others to increase access in low income communities 25

Outcomes of partnerships?  Sharing service  Expanding services  Increasing access  Sharing information  Create Single record system  Improved outcomes  Reduce costs  Expand capacity of staff  Reduce paperwork  Reduce duplication of service  Reduce gaps  Tracking of referral systems (service received? Outcome achieved?)

Indicators  Current NPIs only ask for counts  Looking for support/ideas for collecting data on indicators (might be related to the outcomes just mentioned on the prior slide)

Family Level NPIs 28

Target Population and National Goals GOAL ONE: People with low incomes become more self- sufficient. GOAL THREE: People with low incomes who own a stake in their community increase social capital. GOAL SIX: People with low incomes, especially vulnerable populations, achieve stability. 29

Family Indicators for Target Population  Net family household income is increased.  Families reduce reliance on public benefits.  Families improve status in multiple life domains.  Children meet developmentally appropriate milestones.  Vulnerable populations achieve/maintain stability. 30

Community Level NPIs 31

Planning for Change “Real, lasting community change is built around knowing where you are, where you want to be, and whether your efforts are making a difference. Indicators are a necessary ingredient for sustainable change. And the process of selecting community indicators -- who chooses, how they choose, what they choose -- is as important as the data you select.” Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, 2011, Data That Tells A Story

Community Indicators 33 Community Action addresses complex issues that relate to creating thriving communities. Community Action joins with stakeholders (partners) to improve conditions in low income communities. Communities are improved by people with low incomes having network connections, and these community networks help improve the social capital of people with low incomes.

Reporting Community Work  The agency can clearly articulate the purpose of each partnership and the expected changes that will be produced.  The agency can identify the number of partnerships that both support the agency’s activities (agency outcome) and support community change.  The agency can track its involvement in and value to community changes.  The agency records involvement of their customers (individuals with low-income) in community projects. 34

Suggested revision to goal statement GOAL TWO: Community Action joins with other community stakeholders to improve the conditions in which people with low incomes live. Should mention of thriving or revitalized community be included?

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For more information 37