Keynote Address

Evaluation and Organizational Capacity Building
Hallie Preskill, Ph.D., Professor
Claremont Graduate University, School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences

What does an organization look like that is learning from evaluation? How can organizations build the capacity for learning from evaluation? How can we sustain individual, group, and organizational learning and evaluative thinking in times of change and uncertainty? These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed in this presentation. Participants will be asked to reflect on their understandings and assumptions about evaluation and organizational learning, and about their visions for the OLE program’s success through one or more brief exercises.

Concurrent Sessions

Evaluation to Improve your Programs and Organization
Steven LaFrance, Principal, LaFrance Associates

Evaluation has two broad purposes: 1) to prove value to funders (i.e., the accountability function) and 2) to improve effectiveness (i.e., the learning function). While the evaluation “movement” initially grew out of calls for accountability, increasingly organizations are engaging with evaluative tools and processes because of an internal desire to better achieve their mission. In this session we will discuss principles and models for using evaluation as a learning process and tool for maximizing effectiveness.

Logic Models and Theories of Change: What Are They and How Should They Be Used?
Jara Dean-Coffey, Principal, jdcPartnerships
Presentation Handouts

Logic Models and Theories of Change are tools which can help you clearly articulate the intended impact of your efforts. They can be used during the design, redesign or evaluation planning phase with staff, partners, evaluators…etc. as means to re-direct and clarify your thinking around not only the how (activities and strategies) but the what (anticipated change/outcomes). This session provides an overview of determining when and how to use these tools, case examples from the field and an opportunity to discus with your colleagues your experiences (good and bad) with these frameworks.

Multicultural Approaches to Program Evaluation
Hanh Cao Yu, Senior Social Scientist, Social Policy Research Associates
Presentation Handouts

Social Policy Research Associates has developed tools and resources to increase the multicultural evaluation capacity of funders and nonprofits. Some of the questions we will address in this interactive workshop are: (1) how can our evaluation approaches better take into consideration the cultural context of the communities being studied and give voice to those diverse communities? (2) How do we conceptualize and implement multicultural evaluations within the context of your organization's planning and assessment processes? (3) What can organizational leaders do to support and implement more multicultural evaluations? This work was conducted with support of The California Endowment.

Bilding Capacity – An Overview of the Organizational Development
Services Program
Steven LaFrance, Principal, LaFrance Associates
Val Gotingco Sheehan, Organizational Development Manager, Center
for Civic Partnerships

The Organizational Development Services (ODS) program, directed by the Center for Civic Partnerships, builds capacity among grantees of The California Wellness Foundation. In this session, we will provide an overview of the ODS program including philosophy & approach, objectives, and accomplishments. For the 2006-07 ODS program year, the ODS program will place a special emphasis on organizational learning and evaluation and will partner with LaFrance Associates to provide in-depth consultation to selected program participants. Ample time will be provided for discussion.

Evaluation for Learning: Asking the Right Question at the Right Time from the Right Source
Jara Dean Coffey, Principal, jdcPartnerships

Everything can be measured, but you need time and money (which of course, we don’t have nearly enough of). So, how do you determine what you need to know versus what you want to know and consider what you can know (given your capacity and developmental stage)? This session integrates organizational development and evaluation concepts to provide a framework for determining what types of evaluation questions should be asked, when, how and from what types of sources

Evaluating Policy and Advocacy Initiatives
Rick Green, Director of Consulting, LaFrance Associates
Presentation Handouts
Influencing public opinion or policy is an important tool for effecting system-level change. Yet the outcomes of policy and advocacy initiatives are often unclear, gradual, and influenced by multiple forces. In this workshop we will explore options for evaluating policy and advocacy initiatives that are practical, provide constructive information, and will satisfy your donors. Come prepared to discuss examples from your own work.