Each community fashioned the evaluation indicators that best reflected
their process and project goals. Annually, the evaluation team
will conduct training for the community teams and their partners
to help them track and analyze their evaluation data.
The following menu provides some examples of the outcomes and indicators evaluators may use to study the process of community change that is underway in the participating communities.
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Outcome Statement
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Possible Indicators
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Short Term Outcomes for the Community
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| 1. |
The lead committee and agency in the funded community
have formed an active, committed and diverse coalition
of partners and stakeholders to design and implement
the MSDI project. |
|
a.
Regularity of coalition meeting
b. Commitment of coalition partners
c. Diversity of coalition partners (race, gender, age, private/public,
community sector)
d. Extent of trust among partners
e. Extent of participation of all partners at meetings
f. Extent of productive communication among partners at
meetings
g. Extent of contact between partners outside of coalition
h. Reasons why partners either join or drop out of the coalition
i. How the structure, orientation, group dynamics and work
of the coalition changes over time and the factors that
most contribute to this change.
|
| 2. |
The lead agency and partner coalition have identified
and defined the target beneficiaries for the MSDI
project. |
|
a.
Extent of agreement among partners and agency regarding
who are the target beneficiaries for MSDI
(e.g. location in community, demographic profile, and/or
other characteristics)
b. Extent of agreement among partners and agency regarding
why this population should be the beneficiaries.
|
| 3. |
The lead agency and partner coalition have developed
a strategic plan to guide the identification, design
and implementation of appropriate economic and social
initiatives for the targeted beneficiaries. |
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a.
The coalition has developed a quality written strategic
plan
b. The initiative(s) proposed within the plan is based
on the needs of the target beneficiaries
c. The MSDI plan includes a vision and mission statement
d. The plan includes clearly identified target beneficiaries
e. The plan includes measurable and feasible goals and
objectives, proposed activities, and a time line for the
activities
f. Participating partners provided input on the plan and
feel it represents their interests and views
g. Target beneficiaries support the plan
h. The plan is regularly referred to during the implementation
of the initiative(s)
i. The extent of fidelity between the plan and the implemented
initiative(s)
j. How the strategic plan is changed over time to represent
the changing needs and decisions of the coalition and
the factors that most contributed to this change.
|
| 4. |
The lead agency and coalition have created a learning
environment through their own sponsorship and the
leveraging of other resources, whereby the coalition
partners, local organizations and individuals, including
target beneficiaries can access and exchange the information,
knowledge and skills they need for economic and social
well-being. |
|
a.
Opportunities for accessing and exchanging needed information,
knowledge, and skills become available for coalition partners,
organizations, and individuals, including target beneficiaries;
-
Quantity and quality of new individual capacity building
opportunities that are available to access or exchange
-
Quantity and quality of new organizational capacity
building opportunities that are available to access
or exchange; v Quantity and quality of pre-existing
opportunities for individual capacity building that
are now more accessible or exchangeable for target beneficiaries
b. How the learning environment evolves over time including
those factors that facilitate and limit its growth.
|
| 5. |
As a result of an accessible learning environment,
local organization and members of the community, including
targeted beneficiaries, participate in the available
learning opportunities. |
|
a.
Attendance of organizational representatives and members
of the community, including targeted beneficiaries, at
new and pre-existing learning opportunities
b. Number and diversity of organizational representatives
and members of the community, including target beneficiaries
who exchange needed information, knowledge and skills
c. Reasons why organizational representatives and members
of the community, including target beneficiaries, did
or did not access available opportunities of exchange
needed information, knowledge, or skills with others
d. How the learning environment changed over time and
the factors that most contributed to these changes.
|
| 6. |
As a result of their participation in relevant learning
opportunities, organizations and members of the community,
including targeted beneficiaries, will gain the information,
knowledge and skills to facilitate their economic
and social well being. |
|
a.
Increased knowledge and skills of individuals and organizational
representatives who participate in available learning
opportunities and exchange information both within and
across sectors of the community
b. Types of participants who experience the most increase
in knowledge and skills
c. How learning environments increase individual and organizational
capacity and the factors of these environments that most
contribute to capacity building.
|
| 7. |
As a result of the MSDI's developed learning environment,
coalition members and target beneficiaries have applied
their learnings and have enhanced their economic and
social well being and organizational functioning. |
|
a.
The MSDI coalition has increased in size and diversity
of membership, including its public/private partnerships;
can more effectively write and implement their strategic
plan; has increased its linkages and networks locally
and regionally; more often uses shared leadership and
collaboration in its functioning; and has more trust among
the partners.
b.
Target beneficiaries have achieved the economic and social
objectives set forth in the MSDI plan and as measured
with indicators such as:
- # of individuals with increased education levels
- # of new business owners, requests for licensing for
incorporation
- # of businesses making profits vs. arrcars
- how long businesses stay in business; v amount of venture
capital available
- # of SBA financings, SBI financings, rural cooperative
service financing
- increase in total farm income and acreage of cultivated
land
- % of land farmed by local residents or businesses vs.
out-of-state agribusiness
- sales of agricultural products
- # of employers
- # of full time jobs and part-time jobs, new jobs created
increase in earnings per job
- # of jobs with health insurance and other benefits
- increase in payrolls of existing employers
- increase in average household income
- # unemployed, dependent on government transfer payments
- # at poverty level.
How the MSDI project has enhanced coalition functioning
and the target beneficiaries' economic and/or social well
being.
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Delta Funders Group
