American Evaluation Association2008 Annual Meeting

Denver, Colorado * November 5, 2008

Online Evaluation Resources: Knowledge Sharing for the Field

Sue Hoechstetter

www.afj.org

Agenda

• Concepts behind the Tools

• Capacity Assessment Tool

• Evaluation Tool

Advocacy Capacity Assessment Tool

Advocacy Evaluation Tool

Advocacy Tools www.advocacyevaluation.org

Why Online?

• Change as Needed

• Easier to Customize

• Easier to Receive Feedback

Avenues of Change

Key to Evaluating Advocacy

Successful Advocacy Evaluation

Understanding Advocacy

Advocacy Evaluation Challenges

• It takes so long………

• Many outside controls, such as:

– One key legislator

– Changing economy

– New Governor

Advocacy Evaluation Challenges

• How do you measure influence………

• Who gets the credit ………..

• Unrealistic expectations …..

• Complex systems…….

Advocacy Evaluation Key Concepts

Evaluation must fit Advocacy!

• Flexibility is key• Advocacy capacity building is measured• Incremental results are measured• Tell the story

Using the Tools

Who

How

Advocacy Capacity Assessment Tool

• Strong, flexible organizations

• Work well w/ others

• Have skills, know systems

significant

Advocacy Capacity Tool

Note: No one group has to do it all!

1. Effective decision-making structures

2. Defined advocacy agenda

3. Organizational commitment to advocacy

Advocacy Capacity Tool:Organizational Operations

4. Advocacy base

5. Advocacy partners

6. Relationships with targets

Advocacy Capacity Tool: Relationships

7. Media advocacy

8. Advocacy strategies in context

9. Work with legislative, executive branch, judicial, electoral (nonpartisan) systems

Advocacy Capacity Tool:Implementation Skills

Advocacy Evaluation ToolPart 1

When: Start of Grant Period

Advocacy Evaluation ToolPart I

Identifies planned:

• Goals and strategies

• Activities and incremental results

For:

• Advocacy work

• Capacity building

Clean H2O for Healthy Kids

Obtain Legislation to Clean the Lake/Reservoir

Pass Council Bill 389 to Stop Dumping

City Council Chairman Supports 389

Issue Report on Dumping in Lake

Sample Benchmarks

• Generates 20 comments on proposed regulations

• Prepares 3 amicus briefs on issue

• Gets 15 members to meet with legislators

• Has 3 briefings for candidates

• Issues a report

Advocacy Evaluation Tool: Part II

When: At Reporting Periods

• Reports outcomes,

incremental results

• Explains changes to plans in Part I

Advocacy Evaluation Tool Part II

Springfield Must Fund Stadium!

Advocacy Evaluation Tool

Part II – Changes!!

Goal

• Strategies: Avenues of Change

City Council Springfield DOE

• Outcomes CB 389 Enforce Regulation

• Progress Towards Outcomes

Chair Supports City Investigation!

Advocacy Evaluation Tool

Part II – Tell the Story

IMPACT

Advocacy Evaluation

Part II

• Which plans were accomplished?

• What changed and why?

• What was the impact?

• What was learned?

More Resources…

New Web Resources

A Living Library!!!

http://www.afj.org/for-nonprofits-foundations/reco

New Resource

•

TYPES OF ADVOCACY

Organizing Public Education

Educate Legislators Nonpartisan Voter Education

Partisan Election-Related Activity Lobbying

Regulatory Efforts Litigation

Build Relationships with Legislators Hosting Educational Conferences

Research Lobbying Exceptions

Organize a Rally Training

and more…

Advocacy Evaluation

• Set reasonable expectations early on• Measure incremental progress• Measure capacity built• Use creative indicators• Value flexibility• Tell the story

Build Your Advocacy Grantmakingsupported by: