The Community Tool Box

CORE TASKS:

SOME CTB SUPPORTS:

1. Identify key stakeholders, their questions of interest, and other reporting needs (if applicable) for the documentation and feedback system.

• Key stakeholders of the organization were involved in designing or adapting the documentation system for the initiative.
• The group has identified the types of data & information that are important to key stakeholders & other audiences.
• The group has identified the primary purposes, functions, & uses of data that is documented for the initiative.
• The group has developed a key set of evaluation questions that are important to stakeholders & other important audiences.

CHAPTER 2: Some Other Models for Community Change and Improvement

Chapter 2, Section 2: Some Ways of Doing the Work of Community Change and Improvement: An Overview

CHAPTER 3: Assessing Community Needs and Resources

Chapter 3, Section 1: Developing a Plan for Identifying Local Needs and Resources

Chapter 3, Section 8: Identifying Community Assets and Resources

CHAPTER 5: Choosing Strategies to Promote Community Health and Development

Chapter 5, Section 5: Coalition Building I: Starting a Coalition

CHAPTER 27: Cultural Competence in a Multicultural World

Chapter 27, Section 2: Building Relationships with People from Different Cultures

CHAPTER 30: Principles of Advocacy

Chapter 30, Section 6: Encouraging Involvement of Potential Opponents as well as Allies

CHAPTER 36: Introduction to Evaluation

Chapter 36, Section 1: A Framework for Program Evaluation: A Gateway to Tools

Chapter 36, Section 3: Understanding Community Leadership, Evaluators, and Funders: What are Their Interests?

Chapter 36, Section 4: Choosing Evaluators

Chapter 36, Section 5: Developing an Evaluation Plan

2. Identify the measures to be used in the documentation and feedback system.

• The group collects process measures.
• The group documents the activities (implementation of the intervention) or efforts of the initiative in addressing the issue.
• The group collects longer-term or outcomes measures.
• The group has identified the data sources & assured access to various types of measures to be collected by the initiative.
• The types of data that are collected & documented are consistent with the measures indicated in the logic model or strategic plan.
• The group has a protocol established for collecting & documenting data that specifies all of the following: (a) the types of data to be collected; (b) who is responsible for documenting data; (c) how often data will be collected.

CHAPTER 1: Our Model for Community Change and Improvement

Chapter 1, Section 5: Our Evaluation Model: Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives

Chapter 1, Section 7: Working Together for Healthier Communities: A Framework for Collaboration among Community Partnerships, Support Organizations, and Funders.

CHAPTER 2: Some Other Models for Promoting Community Health and Development

Chapter 2, Section 1: Developing a Logic Model or Theory of Change

CHAPTER 36: Introduction to Evaluation

Chapter 36, Section 1: A Framework for Program Evaluation: A Gateway to Tools

3. Document or collect the data using systematic methods.

• The group has an established process for regularly assessing the reliability & the validity of the data that is collected & documented by the initiative.

CHAPTER 2: Some Other Models for Promoting Community Health and Development

Chapter 2, Section 1: Developing a Logic Model or Theory of Change

CHAPTER 3: Assessing Community Needs and Resources

Chapter 3, Section 7: Conducting Needs Assessment Surveys

Chapter 3, Section 13: Conducting Surveys

Chapter 3, Section 19:Using Public Records and Archival Data

CHAPTER 36: Introduction to Evaluation

Chapter 36, Section 2: Intervention Research with Communities: A Gateway to Tools

CHAPTER 37: Some Operations in Evaluating Community Intervention

CHAPTER 38: Some Methods for Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives

Chapter 38, Section 2: Gathering Information: Monitoring Your Progress

Chapter 38, Section 9: Gathering and Using Community-Level Indicators

4. Analyze, communicate, and use the data to make improvements in the initiative.

• The group, including both the staff & board members, regularly reviews & provides feedback on data that is documented by the initiative to assure the accuracy & completeness of the data.
• The group, including both the staff & board members, regularly reviews the evaluation questions & documented data to assess progress.
• The group regularly analyzes (make sense of data) to help make adjustments & improvements to the initiative.
• The group reviews & uses data that is documented by the initiative as a tool for celebrating accomplishments & acknowledging individuals for their contributions to the initiative.

CHAPTER 24: Improving Services

Chapter 24, Section 1: Overview of Tactics for Improving Services

CHAPTER 36: Introduction to Evaluation

Chapter 36, Section 1: A Framework for Program Evaluation: A Gateway to Tools

CHAPTER 39: Using Evaluation to Understand and Improve the Initiative

Chapter 39, Section 1: Using the Evaluation System to Answer Key Questions about the Initiative

Chapter 39, Section 2: Providing Feedback to Improve the Initiative

Chapter 39, Section 3: Presenting Evaluating Information to a Community Audience

Chapter 39, Section 4: Communicating Information to Funders for Support and Accountability

Chapter 39, Section 5: Supporting Participants in Using Evaluation Information