ML915 Symposium
Beyond Measure: Using Evaluation to
Build Evidence and Drive Learning

Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel
Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Cost: $230 (includes luncheon, materials and networking reception)

• Download the complete syposium brochure
• Agenda (updated 11/15/12)
• List of Speakers (updated 11/15/12)

 

Shared measurement. Collective impact. Results-based accountability. Evidence of programmatic outcomes…

Over the past ten years, these terms have become increasingly familiar to community development professionals who are using data to build organizational capacity, improve performance, and demonstrate impact. In the current environment of limited resources, the demand for robust, credible measurement of results has never been greater. At the same time, different approaches to evaluation and emerging trends in the field make it harder for practitioners to know what type of evaluation will best serve their interests, how findings from evaluations can leverage public and private funding, and how evaluation can inform continuous program improvement.

This timely symposium will address these issues and more, with a special focus on how to integrate evaluation into community development and funding efforts which can help drive organizational learning and enhanced decision-making. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from funders, social impact investors, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners who are working at the cutting edge of community development evaluation. Throughout this intensive day they will offer points and counterpoints about what it takes to foster and sustain a culture of inquiry and analysis. Speakers will describe the state of the field, and delve more deeply into areas of key concern to community development professionals who are seeking to use of evaluation as a tool for learning resource allocation and decision-making. We’ll explore issues that resonate with a broad cross-section of peers who are undertaking, or considering various approaches to, evaluation. These include:

• What role does evaluation play in attracting and sustaining both public and private funding?
• How can nonprofit organizations and funders collaborate to find the best evaluation approaches to fit their needs?
• How can organizations integrate and optimize the use of data in day-to-day operations?
• How can analysis of data and communication of findings effectively target different audiences?
• How can organizations and communities make the most of the wealth of new online tools to access, map and analyze community data for evaluation and learning?
• Are there universal ways across the community development field to talk about impact that allows comparison on investments?
  
• How can we respond to efforts to move beyond traditional evaluation and more effectively capture true program results
• What does it mean to be a data-driven learning organization?
  

In addition to providing an in-depth view of the current community development evaluation landscape, the symposium will offer participants the chance to tackle more nuanced, shifting elements that affect smooth implementation of measurement efforts. Among these are:

• The ways in which government mandates influence the types of evaluation conducted;
• how limited evaluation capacity can prove challenging for organizations charged with meeting distinct reporting requirements for individual funders;
• How future trends – in philanthropy and the economy – could either boost or disrupt revenue streams earmarked for evaluation.

WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY FROM THIS SYMPOSIUM: Practitioners, the Nonprofit Community and Consultants: A deeper understanding of different approaches to three core types of measurement within community development: evaluating capacity, performance and impact. Strategies for deciding which type of evaluation best serves the interests and needs of your organization and/or client.s Tools and best practices that can be applied in the type of evaluation you choose to undertake. Ways to capitalize on evaluation results to attract public and private resources. Nonprofit Leaders, Executive Directors and Public Officials: The latest information on how leading practitioners are implementing evaluations to build evidence and drive learning. Strategies for demonstrating and communicating best practices in shared measurement to a broader audience. Approaches for government and private philanthropy to better coordinate reporting requirements and support of evaluation in community development to enhance field knowledge at the local, regional and national levels. Funders, Intermediaries and Other Partners : First-hand accounts from community development practitioners and funders on lessons learned from the implementation of a variety of place-based evaluations. Best case examples of the effective use of evaluation to build an analytic culture, improve performance and advance learning. Candid discussion of the opportunities and challenges unique to the evaluation of community development efforts that can spur further research and inform policy. By the end of the day, symposium attendees will have gained a solid grasp of exactly how practitioners and funders, evaluation experts and national nonprofit leaders, have joined forces to develop dynamic learning organizations that use a wide range of data and evaluation approaches at the cornerstone for effective practice, delivering stronger results for people and communities throughout the country.