Writing Effective Program Designs
description
Transcript of Writing Effective Program Designs
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Writing Effective Program Designs
Dr. Beverly A. Browning
March 27, 2013
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Writing Award-
Winning Program
Designs
AGENDA
• Starting with a purpose statement
• Perfecting goal statements
• Understanding the components in a
SMART objectives
• Writing implementation strategies
• Creating a timeline chart
• Conquering the logic model (ends with an
impact objective)
• Writing the management plan
• Winning with an evaluation plan
• Offering the sustainability statement
The Purpose Statement
What is the Purpose Statement?
1. The first sentence at the
beginning of the Program Design
narrative section in your grant
application.
2. A one-sentence explanation to
the grant reader about why they
are reading a funding request
from your organization.
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Common Factors Found in All
Purpose Statements
1. The asking factor
2. The name of the project factor
3. The location factor
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The Approach
Public Sector
• Direct
• Incorporate
the amount of
$ requested
Private Sector
• Indirect
• Do not mention
the amount of $
requested
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Purpose Statement
Example #1 – Government $
• The purpose of the grant request
is to seek $1.9 million from the
U.S. Department of
Transportation for the City of
Pasadena’s Job Access Reverse
Commute initiative in California.
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Purpose Statement
Example #2 – Foundation $
• The purpose of the grant
application is to seek your
support for the Ryder-Donavon
Outdoor Interpretive Trail
Program planned for Cheboygan
County.
12
The Goal Statement
What is a Goal Statement?
• Futuristic, global one-sentence
statement of a specific purpose or
outcome of the grant monies (the
beginning of your promise to a
potential grantmaker).
• Sentence always begins with an
action word (non-measurable).
• When in doubt, look up the definition
of a goal in your dictionary!
14
Funder Red Flags for
Goal Statements
• Inclusion of:
1. Numbers
2. Percentages
3. Any type of measurements
• Omission of:
1. Geographic location
2. Target audience
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Great First Words for Award
Winning Goal Statements
1. Provide
2. Design
3. Implement
4. Enable
5. Plan
6. Evaluate
7. Construct
8. Empower
9. Educate
10.Sustain
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First Place to Look for Goal
Statement Language
• Federal or state government
grantmaker Request for Funding
Availability (RFA) or Notice of
Funding Availability (NOFA).
• Foundation or corporate grant
proposal guidelines.
• Ask: What is the “goal” for the
funding?
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Goal Statement
Example #1 – Government
• Provide access to transportation
and employment-related activities
for low-income individuals and
welfare recipients residing in the
City of Pasadena by transporting
them to suburban employment
opportunities in Metro Los
Angeles County.
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Goal Statement
Example #2 – Foundation
• Enable physically-challenged
residents of Michigan to access
the Ryder-Donavon Outdoor
Interpretive Trail Program
planned for Cheboygan County.
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SMART Objectives
What is a SMART Objective?
• S = Specific
• M = Meaningful/Measurable
• A = Achievable
• R = Relevant
• T = Timebound
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Common Formula for Writing
SMART Objectives
To (increase/decrease) (what) by
(# percent) among (whom) as
measured by (how do you
know).
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SMART Objective
Example #1
Goal 1
• Provide access to
transportation and
employment-related
activities for low-income
individuals and welfare
recipients residing in the
City of Pasadena by
transporting them to
suburban employment
opportunities in Metro
Los Angeles County.
SMART Objective 1
• To increase public
transportation access
by 50% among low-
income and welfare
recipients residing in
the City of Pasadena
by the end of Year 1 as
measured by pre- and
post-surveys.
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SMART Objective
Example #2
Goal 2
• Enable physically
challenged visitors to
access the Ryder-
Donavon Outdoor
Interpretive Trail
Program planned for
Cheboygan County,
Michigan.
SMART Objective 2
• To decrease access
barriers by 80% among
physically challenged
visitors to the Ryder-
Donavon Outdoor
Interpretive Trail
Program by the end of
Month 6 as measured
by pre- and post-usage
rates (special needs
Trail passes issued).
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Implementation
Strategies
What is an
Implementation Strategy?
1. An implementation strategy is a
detailed narrative or bulleted list
of the tasks or activities that you
will undertake to implement the
grant-funded project.
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Implementation Steps for
SMART Objective 1
SMART Objective 1
• To increase public
transportation access by
50% among low-income
and welfare recipients
residing in the City of
Pasadena by the end of
Year 1 as measured by
pre- and post-surveys.
Implementation
Strategies - Detailed
• Once the City Council has
approved acceptance of the
grant funds, the Transit
Director will meet with the
Los Angeles Metropolitan
Transportation Authority to
start the public education
campaign; set up guidelines
and access points for free
bus pass distribution, and
monitor usage by route and
frequency of ridership.
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Implementation Steps for
SMART Objective 2
SMART Objective 2
• To decrease access
barriers by 80% among
physically challenged
visitors to the Ryder-
Donavon Outdoor
Interpretive Trail
Program by the end of
Month 6 as measured
by pre- and post-usage
rates (special needs
Trail passes issued).
Implementation
Strategies - Bulleted
1. Accept funding
2. Meet with architect
3. Solicit bids
4. Select contractor
5. Approve proforma
6. Monitor ongoing work
7. Request inspections
8. Usage permits issued
9. Media campaign
10. Public ribbon cutting
11. Trail opens
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Creating a
Timeline Chart
What is a Timeline?
• Grant-Related Tasks/Activities
• Monthly/Quarterly/Annual Start
and Completion Dates
• Key Personnel or Partner
Agency Responsible (Optional)
30
31
Leadership Training Institute Bi-County YouthBuild Program - Three Year Timeline Chart
Activities
Year 1
Program
Operations
Year 2 Program
Operations
Year 3 Follow-up
Support/Tracking
Responsible Organization
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Award acceptance and negotiation Leadership Training Institute Announce grant award Leadership Training Institute Attend DOL Grantee meeting/ orientation Leadership Training Institute Setup accounting books Leadership Training Institute Quarterly reports, Financial, Performance and MIS Leadership Training Institute Key partners meeting to plan startup tasks and hold
monthly meetings Leadership Training Institute
Recruit and hire staff and evaluation of sub-contractors Leadership Training Institute
BOCES - Nassau Staff training Leadership Training Institute Develop marketing materials and advertising plans for
participants outreach and recruitment Leadership Training Institute
Key partners Educational and occupational skills training
testing/assessment Leadership Training Institute
DOOR
Form youth Policy Committee Leadership Training Institute
DOOR
Educational services and work readiness training Leadership Training Institute
DOOR
Construction instruction BOCES Nassau
Recruitment/screening and selection of mentors Leadership Training Institute
Key Partners
On-site training Key Partners
Community service learning assignment Leadership Training Institute
Leadership Development, counseling and support
activities Leadership Training Institute
Key Partners
Career development and exploration Leadership Training Institute
DOOR Job placement and retentions support Leadership Training Institute
DOOR
Transition and follow-up support Leadership Training Institute
DOOR
Monitoring, evaluation and reporting program outcome Leadership Training Institute
Program closeout and final reports Leadership Training Institute
32
THREE YEAR JEFFERSON COUNTY MFCI PROGRAM TIMELINE
MFCI Goals Related Objectives Activities Expected Completion Date Person(s) Responsible Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Quarters
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Goal 1: Enhance the capacity of Jefferson County’s efforts to provide mentoring and support services to youth in foster care.
Increase capacity to administer and implement MFCI Program for at-risk underserved foster care youth by 60% or more by expanding mentoring strategies and implementing an evidence-based research model program design.
-Adoption of national model for mentoring children in foster care. -Recruiting, screening, supervising and retaining older adult mentors. -Targeting and serving 175 local youth. -Operating school year and summer program.
100
50
25
Executive Director and
MFCI Program Director and
Program Coordinator
Goal 2: Strengthen the capacity of TOPPS efforts to develop and expand community mentoring collaboratives and partnerships by integrating best practices into mentoring service models for Jefferson County foster care youth.
Improve outcomes for at-risk youth in mentoring programs by 60% or more by establishing and strengthening collaborative community approaches.
-Developing and adhering to standards of conduct. -Staff development.
Executive Director and
MFCI Program Director
Goal 3: Develop strategies to recruit and maintain mentors serving Jefferson County foster care youth.
Improve the organizational capacity, system efficiency, and cost effectiveness of mentoring programs through training and technical assistance and other evidence-based practices by 60 percent or more.
-Leveraging resources. -Engaging stakeholders and partners.
Executive Director and
MFCI Program Director
Conquering the
Logic Model
What is a
Logic Model?
“A logic model is a systematic and visual
way to present and share your
understanding of the relationships among
the resources you have to operate your
program, the activities you plan, and the
changes or results you hope to achieve.”
(W.K. Kellogg Foundation 2004)
34
Tutorial
35
INPUTS STRATEGIES
OUTPUTS
LONG-TERM
OUTCOMES
LONG-TERM
IMPACT
Resources
dedicated to or
consumed by the
program
What the program
does with the inputs
to fulfill its mission
The direct
quantitative product
of program activities
Benchmarks for
participants during
and after program
activities
Changes in
systems and
processes after
the funding is
expended
e.g.
-money
-staff and staff time
-volunteers and
volunteer time
-facilities
-equipment and
supplies
-transportation
-partner agency cash
or in-kind
committments
e.g.
-Provide…
-Educate…
-Counsel…
-Create…
-Conduct…
e.g.
-Number of classes
taught
-Number of sessions
conducted
-Number of
educational materials
distributed
-Number of hours of
service delivered
-Number of
participants served
e.g.
-New knowledge
-Increased skills
-Changed attitudes or
values
-Modified behavior
-Improved condition
-Altered status
e.g.
-New
approaches
-New services
-Stronger
partnership
working
agreements
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LOGIC MODEL TEMPLATE Long Island Comprehensive Gang Model
PROBLEM SUBPROBLEM(S) ACTIVITIES OUTPUT MEASURES OUTCOME MEASURES Short term Long Term Goal(s) Objective(s)
Reduce delinquency and gang activity.
-Support community mobilization efforts. -Provide opportunities to youth at high-risk of gang involvement. -Involve key stakeholders in connecting high-risk youth to community-based social interventions. -Support gang suppressions efforts. -Catalyze cross-agency organizational change and development.
Increases in: mobilization training & conferences; planning efforts; program materials distributed; youth completers; completion of evidence-based programs; Committee engagement; behavior changes; policies changed or rescinded, and improvements in operations. Decrease in: youth who offend &
reoffend.
Youth violence Gang joining Delinquency and anti-social behaviors
Community mobilization Opportunities provision Social intervention Suppression Organizational change and development
# of training requests received. # of program materials developed. # of training events held. # of people trained. % of people exhibiting increased knowledge of the project area. # of planning events held. # of program materials developed. % of interventions completed. % exposed to evidence-based model. # of Committee planning or training events held. % of program policies changed and/or rescinded. % of youth who offend/reoffend. % exhibiting targeted behavioral changes. % of organizations reporting improvements in operation based on training and technical assistance.
Recruited youth who complete at least 12 months of intervention strategies will remain crime, gang and violence free 12 months post-discharge.
Recruited youth participate in multi-strategy, multidisciplinary model approach that has proven to be effective in reducing gang activity for at least 12 months. Recruited youth remain crime, gang and violence free while enrolled in interventions. Recruited youth demonstrate prosocial behaviors as reported by parents, guardians, school staff, and the Intervention Team. Gang prevention practitioners and law enforcement agencies coordinate efforts and value each other’s role
in reducing gang activity.
37
Resource Links
• Timelines -
http://www.aidainc.net/Publications/
Grant%20Writing.pdf
• Logic Models -
http://www.wkkf.org/knowledge-
center/resources/2006/02/wk-
kellogg-foundation-logic-model-
development-guide.aspx
38
Writing the
Management Plan
What is a
Management Plan?
A management plan is the new name for key
personnel. This section details the
position titles that will be assigned to the
program; demonstrates each position’s
role in the program, and the hours they
will devote toward components in the
grant funded-program. The plan also
includes an accountability statement
(who the position will report to at the
grant applicant agency).
40
A Look at Several Types of
Management Plans
• Table format
• Narrative format
41
42
Mesa Behavioral Health Family Center
21st Century Community Learning Center
Management Plan
Title Responsibilities Time
Assigned to
Program
Reports To
Program
Director
Oversees all program
planning and
implementation tasks.
40 hours per
week x 52
weeks
Executive
Director
Social Worker Conducts new client
intake, screening and
case management.
40 hours per
week x 52
weeks
Program Director
Administrative
Assistant
Processes all
program paperwork
including final reports
to stakeholders.
40 hours per
week x 52
weeks
Program Director
Accountant Prepares all financial
reports
10 hours per
week x 52
weeks
Program Director
Table
Format
Management Plan
• Program Director – 1.0 Full-Time
Equivalent (40 hours/weekly) for 52
weeks. This position will be
responsible for providing oversight to
all program planning and
implementation tasks. The Program
Director will report to the Executive
Director of the applicant agency (Mesa
Behavioral Health Family Center).
43
Narrative
Format
Winning with an
Evaluation Plan
What is an
Evaluation Plan?
An evaluation plan is a written document that states
the objectives of the evaluation, the questions
that will be answered, the information that will
be collected to answer these questions, and
when collection of information will begin and
end. You can think of the evaluation plan as the
instructions for the evaluation. This plan can be
used to guide you through each step of the
evaluation process because it details the
practices and procedures for successfully
conducting your evaluation.
45
Key Evaluation Terms and
Definitions
• Qualitative evaluation – This term
refers to the type of data that will track
the quality of the grant-funded
program.
• Quantitative evaluation – This term
refers to the type of data that will
demonstrate the achievement of the
program’s measurable objectives
(along with the outputs from your logic
model table – Slideshow #3 of 4)
46
Key Evaluation Terms and
Definitions
• Summative evaluation – This term
refers to the data collection timeframe.
The summative evaluation is a final
end-of-program report. It summarizes
all of the evaluation findings.
• Formative evaluation – This term also
refers to data collection timeframe.
The data is collected in intervals or
frequencies throughout the funding
period.
47
Key Evaluation Terms and
Definitions
• Program evaluation – This term refers
to process of evaluating the program’s
intent and impact.
• Process evaluation – This term refers
to the methodology that will be used to
evaluate the processes that were
implemented and if those processes
were effective.
48
What Questions Does the
Evaluation Plan Answer?
• Who will be conducting the evaluation
• What you are going to evaluate
• The process for the evaluation
• The questions you will seek to answer
with the evaluation
• The timeframe for the evaluation
• How findings will be disseminated to
stakeholders
49
Who Will Be Conducting the
Evaluation?
• Third-party
• Stakeholders
• Staff working for the grant-funded
project
50
What Are You Going to
Evaluate?
• The program model (qualitative)
• Achievement of the SMART or
measurable objectives
(quantitative)
• Impact (aka Outcome) objectives
(longitudinal research)
51
What is the Evaluation
Process?
• Determining the types of data to be collected
• Developing the data collection tools (surveys,
interviews, pre- and post-questionnaires, public
forum feedback, and so forth)
• Collecting the data
• Analyzing the data
• Interpreting the data
• Reporting the data
• Developing correction action methodologies to
reach your objectives when the evaluation
findings show a lack of progress and impact
52
What are the Questions the
Evaluation Will Answer?
• Are the SMART objectives being
attained? If not, why not? What is the
correction plan?
• Are the outcome objectives being
attained? If not, why not? What is the
correction plan?
• Do outcomes vary as a function of the
program features?
• Do outcomes vary as a function of the
characteristics for the target population
served? 53
What is the Timeline for the
Evaluation?
• When will the data collection
begin and end?
• How and why the timeframe for
each task was selected?
54
How Your Evaluation Findings
will be Disseminated to
Stakeholders?
• Website(s)
• Conferences
• Publications
• Press releases
• Broadcast media interviews
• Public meetings
55
Resource Links for
Evaluations • The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development(on the Bureau of Justice
Administration website) -
https://www.bja.gov/evaluation/guide/documents
/developing_an_evalu.htm
• The University of Wisconsin Extension -
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/g3658
-1.pdf
• State Government – Victoria, AU – Department
of Planning and Community Development -
http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_fil
e/0010/32986/Evaluation_Step-by-
Step_Guide.pdf
56
Offering the
Sustainability
Statement
What is a Sustainability
Statement?
• The sustainability statement is your
convincing sentence at the end of the
program design narrative section
(following the evaluation plan) that
tells funders how your agency plans to
maintain programs and services that
are started or expanded with grant
funds.
58
A Sample Sustainability
Statement – One Long Sentence
• In the second quarter of the grant
funding period, the Board of Directors
will convene a funding committee to
explore grant opportunities and the
general fund budget for the next fiscal
year in order to plan for program
sustainability in part or total for the
21st Century Community Learning
Center created with your support.
59
Consequences of Not Being
Able to Sustain Grant-Funded
Programs
• Chances of getting a grant from the
same funder for future program years
are slim—at best.
• Destroys funder relationships.
• Casts a shadow of doubt over your
governing body and your program
leaders.
• Results in grant-seeking suicide!
60
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