Theory of Change Development: Crafting a Roadmap for Implementation and Evaluation

BTW informing change has crafted an approach to the process of Theory of Change development that is productive and engaging. We understand that theory by itself does not deliver results, and we appreciate that organizations are not static institutions, but lively and vibrant organisms.

We facilitate an iterative process with key organizational stakeholders in which we collectively define and articulate the problems the organization is setting out to solve, the strategies to be employed, the target constituencies and the desired short- and long-term results.

We have found that our approach accomplishes three objectives: 1) it brings discipline and alignment to practice, ensuring that there is logical coherence to the organization’s work and expected results; 2) it serves as the roadmap for an evaluation that is realistic and based on the organization’s actual work and aspirations; and 3) it builds team spirit among participants, raising awareness of ‛the whole” and where and how each member contributes to the whole.

Ongoing & Recent Projects
Low Income Investment Fund’s ABCD Initiative
The ABCD Initiative, a project of the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), is designed to facilitate and accelerate the development of new child care spaces for California’s children. A complex initiative operating across the state of California, ABCD employs a combination of grants, loans, technical assistance, training and policy advocacy to achieve its intention of generating thousands of new child care spaces in California. LIIF first engaged BTW to facilitate a three-month planning process that engaged project staff, funders and local partners in articulating the Theory of Change for the ABCD Initiative. The group defined the problem ABCD was setting out to solve, the strategies and tactics ABCD is using to address the problem and benchmarks for measuring progress. Working from the Theory of Change, BTW designed a multi-year evaluation, now in its third year. As each year's evaluation is completed, BTW facilitates a review of the Theory of Change and the desired benchmarks in light of the evaluation findings.

Jim Joseph Foundation
BTW has been engaged by the Jim Joseph Foundation to develop a comprehensive evaluation plan for its seven-year, seven-million-dollar Professional Development Initiative (PDI) which aims to increase the capacity and commitment of talented, early-career Jewish professionals to build a career in Jewish communal institutions. BTW has worked with the Foundation and its funding partner, BBYO, in articulating a theory of change and developing an evaluation plan. Beginning in the fall of 2007, BTW will undertake a formative evaluation, providing process and benchmark data related to the program's initial implementation and activities completed by mid-August 2008. These data will help BBYO and JJF in assessing the initiative's progress and allow for early learning and course corrections. These data will also inform the research design for systematic and efficient data collection in the Phase II outcomes evaluation.

Walter and Elise Haas Fund
After the Walter and Elise Haas Fund adopted a new mission, the Fund asked BTW to develop a “right-sized” evaluation-a system that answers important questions but that is not burdensome to grantees or Fund staff. BTW worked with Fund staff to articulate theories of change for all four program areas, and then developed an evaluation framework, measures and tools to enable the Fund to assess its own progress and facilitate reflection and learning over time.

Artsopolis
Artsopolis is an innovative Arts Marketing Partnership program of the Arts Council of Silicon Valley, the largest Arts Council in the State of California. BTW guided the organization in the development of its theory of change. As part of the process, BTW facilitated meetings of the organization’s leaders, partners and community stakeholders to create the theory of change and agree on an action plan for the immediate future.

The Philanthropy Workshop West
The Philanthropy Workshop West (TPW-W) is a donor education program modeled on the program started by the Rockefeller Foundation on the East Coast. TPW-W has been a program of the Hewlett Foundation for the past five years. BTW worked with TPW-W to develop their Theory of Change and a coordinated evaluation process.