In lieu of the economic recession, more and more nonprofits are having to make cutbacks in areas deemed “less necessary,” (i.e., executive photographs for newsletters). Some nonprofits are finding other ways to fulfill their needs.
The Star Tribune recently reported that Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) has been partnering with local nonprofits to provide services. According to the article, “It’s part of Dakota County Technical College’s mission to incorporate “service learning” into every course, from the auto tech students who repair cars for low-income people to DCTC’s interior design students who have designed apartments for formerly homeless vets.”
The example highlighted in the article was the offer of photography sessions to nonprofit organizations. Students conduct a photo session for the staff, develop the products, and give fresh material to the nonprofit for publication. Peter Latner, a former photojournalist who teaches several photography courses, states that “it’s good for the community, but it’s really good for the students.” He goes on to explain that photographing professionals provides the students with valuable, hands-on experience that helps prepare them for working in the field after college.
By connecting with local colleges or other agencies, nonprofits and others can keep ever-growing costs down while engaging in a mutually-beneficial partnership. Do you have any thoughts on how nonprofits or other enterprises could benefit from creating local partnerships?
Words Work!™ is an early literacy program developed by The Saint Paul Foundation to increase children’s literacy skills and improve family involvement. ACET has provided evaluation services to Words Work! since 1999, which included multi-site analyses and a longitudinal quasi-experimental research project whose positive results were recently published in a peer-reviewed journal. Today, we are very pleased to see such a successful project highlighted in the Star Tribune.
The April 20th edition of the Star Tribune featured a letter to the editor written by Carleen Rhodes, President and CEO of The Saint Paul Foundation. The letter attests to the “results of positive early intervention via our Words Work! program.” She encourages “legislators and other Minnesota leaders to continue to invest in early childhood programs.”
For more information on the Words Works! program, see The Saint Paul Foundation’s website: (http://www.saintpaulfoundation.org) or watch the video below:
The Minnesota Department of Administration recently released their Joint Availability and Disparity Study, which affects minority- or women-owned (M/WBE) and targeted group business enterprises. The Commissioner of Administration in Minnesota contracted with an outside agency to conduct the study, who examined barriers that resulted in disparity for targeted groups and recommended solutions to remedy the effects of any disparity identified.
The latest evaluation of M/WBE programs has shown that some targeted group business enterprises have changed status in the communities, and therefore, their eligibility for preferences or subcontracting has changed (see 1-page summary from the Department of Administration). The report identifies target groups in set business areas and includes tables to show disparity rates.
The report also details the history of disparity studies and introduction of M/WBE programs in Minnesota, as well as gives many nationwide examples of programs set in place to alleviate M/WBE discriminations and prevent future abuses.
To view the targeted group business eligibility table, please click here: TG Eligibility Table
In March, Heather and Kirsten wrote about their experience in the “Grant Writing Boot Camp” and touched briefly on SMART goals. This post will provide a little more insight into developing goals that meet the criterion of being “SMART.”
SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound. Let’s review each term one at a time.
Let’s make up an imaginary program and work through creating a SMART goal our fake program: Forever Homes, our hypothetical agency, helps dogs in need of homes find permanent (“forever”) homes.
Specific. To say a goal is specific indicates that the goal itself is not too broadly identified. For Forever Homes, a goal could be stated as “rescue dogs.” While this is a goal of the program, it is not specific. What does it mean to “rescue” a dog? Do we mean rescue all dogs from human ownership and free them to the wild (hopefully not!)?
A more specific goal might be something like “Find forever homes for homeless dogs in Minneapolis.” This goal has been improved in a number of ways: We have identified a specific target (homeless dogs); limited our region for homeless dogs (Minneapolis); and defined “rescue” (find forever homes).
Measurable. A measurable goal is simply one that can be measured. By making a goal specific, we are well on our way to having a measurable goal. It is much easier to measure the specific goal, “find forever homes for homeless dogs in Minneapolis” rather than “rescue dogs.” We can measure specifically how many dogs that have been rescued Minneapolis have been placed in forever homes.
Attainable. An attainable goal is one that is able to be reached. Our current goal, “find forever homes for homeless dogs in Minneapolis,” is specific and measurable, but do we really expect to find forever homes for all homeless dogs in Minneapolis? So, to make our goal more attainable, let’s update it to “find forever homes for 90% of the homeless dogs in Minneapolis identified by Forever Homes.” That’s a goal that might be attainable, as opposed to 100% of dogs.
Realistic. This is very similar to an attainable goal; however, just because our goal is attainable does not mean it is realistic. Finding a forever home for 90% of dogs, although possible, might be far beyond what the organization could expect to realistically achieve. Perhaps a more realistic goal is “find forever homes for 75% of the homeless dogs in Minneapolis identified by Forever Homes.”
Time-bound. The most recent version of our goal may have already sprung the question “wait, what if a homeless dog is found a day before the data is reported for evaluation? Should we really count that dog as ‘not having a forever home’ because the dog has only had one day to find a home?” This is one example of why one must make SMART goals time-bound. Let’s revise our goal again: “find forever homes within 6 months for 75% of the homeless dogs in Minneapolis identified by Forever Homes.” One needs to ask here if the time-bound condition is realistic.
We began with “rescue dogs” and ended with “find forever homes within 6 months for 75% of the homeless dogs in Minneapolis identified by Forever Homes.” There is a drastic difference between the two and it should be obvious through the discussion that the second goal achieves SMART status.
Have any insight into SMART goal development you’d like to share? Any follow-up questions? Please comment below.
We don’t often get a chance to share our personal interests and passions with our clients, so you may not know how crazy we all are about animals (both domesticated and wild). Many of us have pets and are always swapping stories about them and their antics. Our desks and computer desktops are littered with pictures of our happy critters. The office itself even houses 3 Betta fish (Junior, Thor, and Snidely) and one Red-Eared Slider turtle (Pee Wee, or “PW”).
In an effort to engage our passion for animals outside of the office and in the community, ACET, Inc. has formed a local corporate team to participate in the Animal Humane Society’s Walk for Animals. We have titled the team “HAWT” (Helping All Wagging Tails). Kirsten’s husband, Zack, is designing t-shirts for us to wear on the five-mile walk on May 1.
Please consider joining team HAWT on the walk or making a tax-deductible donation for this cause. All proceeds go to the Animal Humane Society to help animals in need. For example, $50 in donations will pay for two stray cats to receive full vaccinations or $500 in donations can help three dogs through the Adoption Preparation program, which readies shy or fearful dogs for adoption.
Brainstorming creative and useful ways to display data and results can be a challenge. A recent discussion on the LinkedIn page of the American Evaluation Association has turned my attention to a useful tool called the “Periodic Table of Visualization Methods, which can be used to aid and/or inspire this creative process. The table, as suggested by the name, is designed to mirror the periodic table of the elements, but instead of describing the many basic elements and their components, this table is based on the many ways to visually display common evaluation information.
Though the table itself is quite detailed and may look daunting at first glance, you can easily begin to explore its usefulness through its interactive features. Please click on the link and I can further explain this tool: http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html.
Once you have activated the link, take a moment and hold your cursor over one of the “elements.” A little graphic should pop-up that will give you an example of that particular visualization method. Each element has its own unique example. Though these are just examples, one can begin to imagine their own information in such displays.
Along with the great examples of each visualization type, the table provides various color coding and symbols to highlight what each type of visualization communicates. For example, yellow indicates a visual display of data while blue-green indicates a visualization of a concept. The two-letter acronyms are described within each box; the symbols used within the boxes are described in the key. Again, hold your cursor over the box for information.
For a more detailed explanation of the development and rationale behind the table, follow this link: http://ow.ly/wk7d
One of the challenges presented by this table is the actual creation of these displays. Though the displays are very visually appealing and often complex, the appeal and complexity demands software that can do such. However, this table does provide some useful guidance and inspiration for how to grab readers’ attention and communicate complex information effectively. What visualization methods stand out the most for you? Which do you think are most appealing? Any personal favorites?
The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC) has announced their 2010 Teleconference Series which may be a valuable resource for anyone working, involved, or interested in child welfare. You need only a computer with audio (or a computer and telephone) to participate.
Each teleconference is open to the first 100 members at a first-come, first-served basis. Registration for each event is mandatory. If you miss registration, you can still listen to the call online. Information is archived after the teleconference for those who want to access the materials after the call.
Below is information for the next demonstration.
Wednesday, April 21, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT: Children who Run Away from Care
To register, click on the link next to the teleconference you wish to participate in.
The Children’s Bureau has created some new online resources on parental mental health and the child welfare system. Research has indicated that children of parents or caregivers with mental health needs have higher rates of involvement in the child welfare system. The resources were developed by Kim Halfgott and the team at the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health, which is part of the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network. The resources include promising practices for screening and treatment, tools and training, fact sheets, web sites, and research to better understand how the mental health and the child welfare systems can work together to support parents and caregivers with mental health needs.
