Articles & Publications
Success Measures has authored and been featured in articles, publications, and blog posts on community development participatory outcome evaluation. These resources, which provide more extensive information on our work in the field, are available here for reading or downloading.
Measuring Outcomes of Financial Capability Programs: Success Measures Tools for Practitioners
Success Measures, NeighborWorks America, 2011Provides access to the 100+ Success Measures Financial Capability Measurement Tools and discusses the collaborative field-building initiative that resulted in the new set of tools. Read MoreAge-Friendly Communities – USA Project Report
Success Measures, NeighborWorks America, September 2014Overview of a three-year effort, supported by the Tides Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies, to assist low-income communities through an asset-based, age-friendly approach. Includes case studies of four diverse communities working to apply the practices of age-friendly communities, as well as Success Measures' evaluation of how the age-friendly communities' agenda is being embedded within the organizations for long-term sustainability. Read MoreInvesting in Community Change: An Evaluation of a Decade of Data-Driven Grantmaking
The Foundation Review, Vol. 7, Issue 3, 2015As part of an issue focused on place-based philanthropy, this article discusses Success Measures and The Reinvestment Fund's joint evaluation of the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation's ten years of grantmaking and related programs in low-income communities in eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Read More- As part of the examination of beneficiary feedback in the social sector, this post notes the movement of data in community development work, particularly how data from beneficiaries is being aggregated and incorporated into the work of improving communities and changing lives. Examples highlight the importance and feasibility of integrating community voice into community development grantmaking and programming, including Success Measures outcome evaluation services and technology. Read More
Communicating, Collaborating, and Coordinating to Revitalize New Jersey Neighborhoods
The Foundation Review, Vol. 5, Issue 1, 2013As part of a journal edition focusing on cross-sector collaborations, this article discusses the collaborative neighborhood revitalization work taking place in New Jersey funded by the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program, and supported by the Housing and Community Development Network. Read MoreIncluding the Beneficiary Voice: The Success Measures Experience
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Investment Review: Vol. 7, Issue 2, 2011It is essential to capture the voices of informed community stakeholders and the observed physical changes that are occurring on the ground. As discussed in this essay, it is possible to do systematic, methodologically sound impact measurement that more fully demonstrates what investors want to know: How are people’s lives improving? How are communities changing? Read MoreParadigm Shift: A Foundation / Grantee Partnership Using Data to Drive Neighborhood Revitalization and Assess Impact
The Foundation Review, Vol. 2, Issue 2, 2010Description of how one regional foundation led a partnership to create a participatory outcome evaluation framework for its neighborhood revitalization work, and supported community-based grantee organizations in utilizing the framework to craft and implement neighborhood plans in a 62-county region. Read MoreBreakthroughs in Shared Measurement and Social Impact
FSG Social Impact Advisors, July 2009Success Measures' shared measures and data system are featured as examples of how nonprofits can track and share common indicators that increase impact and enhance learning for funders and grantees. Read MoreFrom Insight to Action: New Directions in Foundation Evaluation
FSG Social Impact Advisors, April 2007Highlights emerging approaches to evaluation in the field of philanthropy that enhance the effectiveness of foundations and their grantees. Read MoreParticipatory Action Research: Involving “All the Players” in Evaluation and Change
Grantcraft, 2007As part of Grantcraft’s series of guides for grantmakers on evaluation techniques, this edition focuses on how to engage all parties in an evaluation, and includes case studies of funders using the participatory approach to evaluate programs. Read More