Evaluation in Kids Count

1
Evaluation in Kids Count

• Influence, Impact, Leverage Workshop
• Kids Count Annual Conference 2005
• Jane Zehnder-Merrell, Michigan League for Human
  Services

2
Current Kids Count Tool Kit

• Self Assessment
• Feedback
• Materials books, materials, etc.
• Presentations (workshops/trainings)
• Tracking
• Data Requests
• Media

3
Self-Assessment Five Areas

• Data collection and analysis
• Communications and dissemination
• Fund development and sustainability
• Community and constituency mobilization
• Policy analysis

4
Self-Assessment Purpose

• Review five components for planning
• Outstanding
• Satisfactory
• Needs work
• Annually or semi-annually
• Staff activity
• Assessment then Plan of Action

5
Self-Assessment Plan of Action

• Identification of challenges
• Solutions
• Responsibilities and timeframe

6
Feedback Tools

• Presentations
• Publications data book, special report, (policy
  brief, legislative alert, fact sheet) online
  Website/CLIKS (pop-up surveys)

7
Tracking Data Requests

• Forms/spreadsheets
• Request (data)
• Phone
• E-mail
• Website
• In person

8
Request Tracking - Purpose

• Client base who add to mailing list
• Outreach campaign target
• Usefulness kind of information
• Follow-up
• Demonstration of demand (funders)
• Report to board

9
Tracking Media

• Who is saying what who quoted
• Topics covered news release
• How placed
• Quality of content
• Portrayal of Kids Count citation
• Emphasis on positives or negatives
• Overall impression

10
Purpose Media Tracking

• Strategy
• Perspectives of paper/reporter
• Fundraising
• Breadth of exposure
• Clips or quotes in marketing
• Clippings to Board or Advisory Council

11
2005 and Beyond

• Beyond the HOW information production and
  distribution
• to OUTCOMES what happens as a result of that
  information

12
Measuring Effectiveness Current

• Impact
• Policy change i.e. budget, new legislation
• Positions of policy makers
• Influence
• Media articles, opeds, citations
• Participation in state policy making
• Leverage
• Participation or leadership in coalitions
• Organizational development more diverse support

13
Shape of the Future

• Clear articulation of KC outcomes
• Use and development of tools
• More effective communication of findings from
  current tools
• Broader use and understanding of evaluation tools
  and techniques among network

14
New Tools

• An evaluation framework, unique to the KIDS COUNT
  Network to answer more easily questions about the
  results of their advocacy work.
• Additional tools or simple processes to support
  that framework.

15
Next Steps

• Clarity to discussion
• Set of critical questions
• Workplan for evaluation workgroup
• New resources for further learning