P ROGRESS R EPORTING Sectoral Employment Initiative VISTA Program

P ROGRESS R EPORTS —W HY ? Evaluation Supports strategic planning initiatives Helps communicate goals and progress to the greater audience Serves as a learning tool to make program stronger and more effective Progress reports communicate the value of VISTA projects in an organized way VISTA progress reports are required by CNCS State Offices and are used to determine future funding decisions Here’s a chance to showcase how your project is “Getting things done! (for America)”

L OGIC M ODELS Logic models (inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes) are the framework for PSEI progress reporting. Input and activity: what happened at your organization and what did you start with? What was the VISTA member’s role in making that happen? It’s OKAY to brag here! Outputs: What were the immediate results? Outcomes: What impact did this activity make at your organization? How did things change? Focus on both quantitative and qualitative information to write narrative responses.

P ROGRESS R EPORT H OW -T O 1. Reporting link is ed to VISTA members 2. VISTA members create user accounts Make sure to write down username/password 3. Once an account is created, the VISTA can access the report at any time and work at their convenience Suggestion—type narrative answers in Word first, then copy/paste! 4. Review completed report with supervisor 5. Submit. A copy will be sent to each VISTA for their records

O RGANIZATION Q UESTIONS Organization Questions Name and project for VISTA and Supervisor addresses Sick and personal days during this reporting period 10 sick per VISTA year 10 personal per VISTA year

F ORMSITE

T ECHNICAL Q UESTIONS CNCS wants to know the… Number of economically disadvantaged individuals receiving job training and other skill development services Number of economically disadvantaged individuals placed in jobs Dollar value of cash and in-kind resources developed

P ROGRESS R EPORT Q UESTIONS Program Questions Narrative style asking for activities, output, outcomes Quantitative AND qualitative information 3 Main Categories Outreach to employers/partners/program participants Cold calls, mentor recruitment, follow-up calls to students Program Development Curriculum organization and implementation Building Knowledge and Creating Resources Database or cataloguing ‘tools,’ research and reporting How the organization’s programs and the VISTA member’s work increase capacity (MORE) and enhance services (BETTER)?

CONFUSED? Click on the ‘?’ button in the Program Questions section to view examples of answers!

VISTA N ARRATIVE Narrative section: Successes Great stories—how can an activity from the Program Questions section highlight an impact made at the individual level? Challenges Technical assistance needed

S UBMITTING THE R EPORT Once the VISTA has filled out all the information, they must meet with their supervisor to go over everything and make necessary changes. Once submitted, Joel and Jessica will collate information and send the information to the CNCS state offices, who will then present their findings at the national level.

Q UESTIONS ?