Guiding agency leadership through a discussion about using your outcomes to build a case for support B uilding the links between our Outcomes Evaluation System and Impacts to our C ommunities

Outcome from this Call Leadership will be able to think critically about the data now available and create an action plan with a process to strengthen your case for support

A. Your Community’s Needs form the foundation for your Case for Support You are the subject matter experts for being relevant in your community Dream big and explain how you can bring about the biggest impacts to the youth in your community [juvenile delinquency, drugs, alcohol, school achievement, etc.] Decide where you want to have impact: 3 Academics Relationships Risky Behaviors

B. Areas for community impact 4

Let’s talk about this… What have you been able to talk to funders about in the past? How did that work for you? What else have funders wanted in order to “write the big checks”? What can we begin saying to funders today about being more relevant?

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How do I go from A to B ?

All the stuff in the middle from A to B = Components to the Outcomes Evaluation System Length [average match length, 12 month retention rates] Strength [Strength of Relationship surveys] Quality processes [QA ratings, match support contacts done] Outcomes [YoS baselines and follow up surveys, collection of school records]

Our internal equation Research says positive outcomes are achieved for children in our programs when matches last and strong relationships develop between the Big and the Little. The potential benefits of higher retention and stronger relationships are significant for our children and… Have major financial benefits to our organization. Funders want to support the “stuff in the middle” if you prove to them that you can get to POINT B and that the outcome has relevance to their communities 9 Length + Strength = Outcomes

Do funders care about Length of Matches? Only if you frame it for them around the research…the longer the match, the more time a Big has to make a positive impact on that youth The longer a Big and Little are together, the more influence a Big has to increase the protective factors that insulate the Little from the negative environmental factors

Do funders care about Strength of a Match? Only if you frame it for them around what difference that makes in a youth’s life A bonded, trusting (strong) relationship between a Big and Little is the route to influence, the biggest foot in the door to helping a child become more resilient against negative influences

Do funders care about our Youth Outcomes Survey? Not really…they only care that you have a system in place that measures changes in the Little’s life and in their attitudes from the time they are matched to post match – specifically in areas focusing on: – Academics (grades improving, aspirations for high school/college, confidence in schoolwork) – Relationships (do their peers accept them, are they getting closer to their parents/caregivers) – Risk Behaviors (skipping school, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gangs)

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14 Does this make sense? If it does, then all you need to start working on is a plan around three things: 1.Connect with a relevant social problem in your community…WHY is this critical? 2.Drive operational excellence…WHY is this important? 3.Understand and interpret the data from AIM…Why is this valuable?

What a CEO needs to consider Is my team ready to deliver on operational excellence around the components of the Outcomes Evaluation System? Are my funders prepared to “hear” the shift from the POE- era case for support to a more research-oriented outcomes message? Have I fully prepared my Board for these changes? What does my fund development staff need to shape the case for support messages? Am I prepared to understand the data that will be coming out of AIM and guide my team in the changes needed and the performance management practices to ensure full adoption? 15

What the fund development staff need to consider Do I fully understand the shift from POE to Outcomes data and how to present it to funders? Are my funders prepared to “hear” the shift from the POE- era case for support to a more research-oriented outcomes message? What support do I need to deepen my understanding of data being collected and the reports coming out of AIM? What is my “elevator” speech; my individual donor speech; and, my corporate funder speech? 16

What the program staff need to consider Am I prepared to get enough data into AIM so as to maximize possible outcome results? It’s critical to have high enough representation of your total children served in your outcome evaluation! Do I see the connection between all these surveys and the output and outcome data needed to get funders to write us a check for support? As a manager, am I prepared to lead my program staff to fully adopt the Outcomes Evaluation System and connect the dots for them? As a manager, am I prepared to help my CEO and fund development translate, interpret and understand the data reports from AIM? 17

Examples The proverbial elevator speech – “I’m a board member with BBBS of XXX and I chose to get involved and to support this great cause because the work we do positively changes the lives of our communities’ youth forever, especially as it relates to improved graduation rates. We can prove this through the data we collect on every youth in our program. Last year alone, 65% of the youth we matched had positive changes in their confidence about school abilities and 40% showed improvement in their belief that they can graduate from high school and go to college. That’s only two of several significant outcomes we are achieving. Here’s my card if you are interested in hearing more about how we are making an impact in our community.” 18

When talking to a potential donor – “Let me tell you about my work with BBBS of XXX. We believe that every youth we match will have his/her life changed for the better, forever. We believe this because we are able to measure impact on every single youth and the results show that our kids stay in school, make healthy choices, feel better about themselves, and become active members of our community. These proven methods and compelling outcomes are why I contribute $xxxx each year.” 19

Key Points to Ensure You Have Momentum You must begin collecting SoR, YoS baseline and follow up data NOW (if you haven’t already begun) Without DATA you cannot build case for support All agency leadership are responsible for driving this machine More functional YOS releases coming in

March 2010 YOS Compliance Report (for baseline) March 2010 YOS Compliance Report (for baseline) May 2010 YOS Follow-up Surveys & YOS Score Report May 2010 YOS Follow-up Surveys & YOS Score Report Sept 2010 YOS Outcomes Report Sept 2010 YOS Outcomes Report Sept-Oct 2010 YOS Compliance Report (add Follow-up) Sept-Oct 2010 YOS Compliance Report (add Follow-up) Here’s what’s coming