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Advocacy

As more foundations and nonprofits engage in advocacy and policy work to address public issues and affect social change, there has been a growing desire to gauge investment impact. But, evaluating advocacy differs from traditional evaluation. The following publications illustrate ORS’ thinking and learning on evaluating the effectiveness of charitable efforts:

A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy (2007)
This guide puts forth a framework for naming outcomes associated with advocacy and policy as well as directions for evaluation design. It includes a broad range of methodologies, intensities, timeframes and purposes.

Excerpts from this guide have reached international audiences, including a translation to French and publication in the journal Echos du Cote and a Russian translation.

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A Handbook of Data Collection Tools: Companion to “A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy”. (2007)
Practical advice for capturing and documenting influences and leverage in a Making Connections community. This guide provides clarification, concrete examples and suggested approaches for documentation of these often elusive concepts.
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Advocacy Evaluation Case Study: the Chalkboard Project (2011)
This case study profiles the prospective evaluation of an Oregon K-12 education reform effort. The case study shares insight into prospective data collection methods including a description of tools used, reporting tips, and evaluator observations about prospective evaluation and strategic learning.
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Getting Started: A Self-Directed Guide to Outcome Map Development (2009)
Getting Started offers step-by-step advice along with concrete tools, templates and examples to help advocacy organizations express their theory of change via an outcome map. The outcome maps enhance communication and serve as a framework for evaluation planning.
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Overview of Civic Engagement Operating Frameworks (2011)
This matrix shares an overview of civic engagement operating frameworks based on a literature review and interviews with key civic engagement funders and evaluators.
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Pathways for Change: 6 Theories about How Policy Change Happens (2009)
This guide describes expected outcomes and underlying assumptions for theories from different disciplines that are relevant to advocacy and policy-change efforts. They help advocates, funding organizations and evaluators better communicate about their work, develop partnerships, and create meaningful evaluation plans.
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Strategic Communications for Influence: Lessons From the Annie E. Casey Foundation and its KIDS MATTER Initiative (2010)
The article was recently published in The Foundation Review (2010, Volume 1, Issue 4).
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Ten Considerations for Advocacy Evaluation Planning: Lessons Learned from KIDS COUNT Grantee Experiences (2009)
Prepared for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2009.

This describes evaluation planning steps and offers ten considerations regarding some tricky places advocates may encounter in the process. It presents lessons gained from KIDS COUNT grantee experiences and helps prepare advocacy organizations in their own evaluations.

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The Challenge of Assessing Civic Engagement Efforts: Toward a Useful Framework and Measurement Approaches (2011)
This overview piece shares what we know to date in terms of measuring civic engagement efforts.
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The Outcome Map Experience - Children First for Oregon (video) (2011)
ORS presented to the KIDS COUNT evaluation and organizational effectiveness work group. At this meeting, Robin Christian from Children First for Oregon shared a video where staff, board members and partners talked about the value of developing an outcome map.
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The Outcome Map Experience - Georgia Family Connection Partnership (video) (2011)
ORS presented to the KIDS COUNT evaluation and organizational effectiveness work group. At this meeting, Gaye Smith from the Georgia Family Connection Partnership shared a video where staff, board members and partners talked about the value of developing an outcome map.
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Trying Out a Real Time Advocacy Self-Evaluation Process: Guidance and Considerations for KIDS COUNT Grantees (2009)
Prepared for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2009.

This presents considerations and guidance on how advocates could effectively try out a real-time self-evaluation approach to document and support their work. It focuses on how advocates can adopt intentional evaluative thinking as an integrated part of advocacy and policy change.

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