What does it mean to provide feedback to improve your intiative?
___Providing feedback from your evaluation involves presenting the data on accomplishments that you're getting from your evaluation to those involved in the initiative - your staff and volunteers
___Most of this information is usually, but not always, presented in graph form
___Providing feedback should be done on an ongoing basis so that your staff and volunteers can be kept up-to-date on what they're doing well and what can stand improvement
___Providing feedback can also be done at the end of an evaluation (although not exclusively so)
___Your staff should get feedback at regular intervals, especially early in the initiative's development, so that they can continually adjust their efforts to improve the initiative's results
What are some reasons to consider providing feedback?
___To help community leadership assess progress towards meeting the initiative's goals
___To help see areas wherein the members of the initiative may want to put more energy
___To help detect when too much energy or effort is spent in areas less central to the mission
___To provide the opportunity to celebrate small accomplishments
___To help the initiative focus on the "big picture" by seeing cumulative accomplishments over time
___To provide funders the opportunity to help re-direct the initiative towards activities more directly related to the mission
___To provide funders the opportunity to see and reward the accomplishments of the initiative
How should you provide feedback?
___You began with an affirming and specific overall statement summing up how the initiative is doing
___You've presented the data to the group as a good thing, even if the feedback isn't all that positive
___You've tried to communicate the value of a group that really wants to know how it's doing and provided a shared vision of the initiative as a catalyst for change
___You've shown graphs and qualitative material in this order:
- Process Measures
- Intermediate Outcomes
- Ultimate Outcomes/Impact Data
___You’ve asked the group for its interpretation of the data
___You've introduced the information and provided a brief definition, example, and explanation of why it is important
___You've given a more detailed example from accomplishments that have happened recently - within the last few months, if possible
___You've pointed out what is positive about the data
___You've made note of any trends in the data, and what those trends mean
___You've discussed any suggested re-direction of efforts
___You've reviewed examples listed on the graph
___You've affirmed the initiative by noting evidence of progress
___You've asked for comments or questions from the group
How should you present the information If the measure hasn't shown recent growth?
___Ask the group for its ideas about why this is so
___Point out any previous times that growth occurred to keep people from getting discouraged
___If the measures are cyclical in nature and it seems appropriate, point this out
___When meeting with the initiative's leadership, ask if there were additional activities that were not recorded and remind leaders of the definition and list items that have been recorded over the life of the initiative
___Summarize the data by discussing strengths of the initiative