Outcome Thinking is a mindset:

• It is a focus on what changes or impact your programs are having in the clients or community you serve.
• It links your program activities to the end result you seek.
• It is a prerequisite for taking an honest look at whether your program is having an impact.

Results

• Definition: End goals you strive to achieve in your community; generally greater than what your program alone can achieve
• Ask: What change do we hope to see in the community? What is our work contributing to, as an end goal for our community?
• Example: Our community's children reach their full potential

Outcomes

• Definition: Changes in your participants or in your community’s conditions that you expect to result from your program activities; may be changes in knowledge, attitude, behavior, skills, or condition.
• Ask: What change or difference do we expect to make in our clients' lives?
• Example: Improved school performance among our participants

Indicators

• Definition: Observable and measurable evidence that your outcomes are being achieved; specific – can be seen, heard or demonstrated
• Ask: What will allow the clients and us to know that any change has occurred?
• Example: Average grades are better than when entering into program for 60 percent of participants

Outputs

• Definition: Products of your work activities, intended to lead to the desired outcomes in your clients
• Ask: How do we capture the volume of work we do?
• Example: Twice-weekly, small-group tutoring sessions for an eight-week period, for a total of 24 fourth- & fifth-graders

Activities

• Definition: Methods, techniques or strategies for carrying out your program; the ways you try to address the needs or problems faced by your clients
• Ask: What do our staff/volunteers actually do?
• Example: After-school tutoring and enrichment program focused on academic skills, confidence and motivation

Inputs

• Definition: Resources needed to carry out your program; includes: staff & volunteers, time/hours devoted to planning/implementing program activities, money, facilities, even participants
• Ask: What is needed to implement our program well?
• Example: Coordinator, two stipended tutors, counselor, sports/activities specialist, facilities, materials

Process-oriented

• What services do we offer?
• What is it that our agency does?
• What service needs does our agency meet?
• What public information strategies do we use?

Outcome-oriented

• What results do we hope to realize with our services?
• What are we trying to achieve?
• What changes in conditions or behavior are we trying to effect?
• What changes in attitude are we attempting to effect, with whom?

• To understand if your programs are making a difference
• To make course corrections, as needed
• To plan for sustained and/or greater impact
• To make your case to attract: funding, staff, leadership, clients, and media attention
• To inspire and focus your board, staff and volunteers

What are the steps to program assessment?

• Step 1: Define your intended results
• Step 2: Articulate your “theory of change” – how your program will lead to results
• Step 3: Identify “indicators” – or observable & measurable evidence – of results with your clients
• Step 4: Develop systems to track those measures and analyze the information
• Step 5: Analyze the data and draw conclusions
• Step 6: Use the information to plan, adjust program
• Step 7: Modify the assessment system, as needed

What do we need to proceed?

• Shared understanding of basic terms
• Some tools or models that can guide your thinking
• A working group to tackle this
• A sequence of steps to follow

Theory of change:  Articulates your organization’s assumptions about how your program activities lead to the ultimate results you would like to see in the community at large 

• Reflects your assumptions about how your activities will ultimately contribute to the change (community results) you are working towards
• Links strategies to intended results
• Explains how and why the desired change is expected to come about
• Is conveyed in an outcome map

Logic model: Builds upon your Theory of Change to map the inputs, outputs, and outcomes of your program, as the basis for identifying how you might assess program success

• Articulates the elements of your program -- from inputs through to results -- and the relationship between them.
  
• Graphic representation that shows logical relationships between inputs, outputs, and outcomes
• Can be extended to include indicators for an evaluation plan

• What would be gained by trying to define our theory of change or logic model?
• How important is it to us...
  • to measure change in our clients?
  • to assess our effectiveness?

• What are we willing to invest in this effort?
• What would make that investment worthwhile?

1. Choose a program to focus on
   1. A "program" is a set of related activities that all contribute to a common end purpose.
      1. Choose a program that has a defined purpose and client
         base.
      2. Choose a program in which program leaders and staff are
         ready & willing to engage in self-reflection.
         
         
2. Form a working group
   
   1. Include members who understand the agency and know the program well 
   2. Include representatives of key functions:
      1. Development/fundraising
      2. Agency & program leadership
      3. Possibly the board and/or volunteers
   3. Keep the group small (5-7 individuals, maximum)
   4. Confirm that members have available time
      
      
3. Map out an approach and work schedule
   1. Agree on:
   2. What materials would be useful to review (proposals, program reports, data on clients & community, etc.) for background information
   3. A meeting schedule: bi-weekly, day/times, date of the first meeting
   4. How the working group will operate and how to handle/assign key roles: group convener, facilitator, scribe, communications with staff and board