Using a Theory of Change or Logic Model
Whether they know it or not, every social programme and most organisations are based on a
'theory of change' - a working model of how and why the change they want to see in society might be expected to occur. The trick is being able to spell it out and get everyone's agreement to it.
There are a number of benefits of being clear about your programme or organisational Theory of Change. It can help you
- plan and identify gaps in your thinking,
- develop consensus among stakeholders,
- set realistic expectations, and
- continually improve performance.
- It can also be the cornerstone for an effective do-it-yourself evaluation.
The Innovation Network (Innonet) is a US-based non-profit organisation dedicated to developing and sharing evaluation tools and know-how with nonprofits and funders, so they can do their work more effectively. It has produced a very useful Logic Model Workbook (PDF, 518 KB) - which, in plain language, leads you through a process of articulating your programme or organisation's Theory of Change, connecting Resources (Inputs) with Activities (Throughputs), Outputs and Outcomes, through a series of 'if, then' statements.
For more extensive information on the Theory of Change approach, ActKnowledge and the Aspen Roundtable for Community Change have developed Theory of Change On-line - an interactive online suite of tools for creating, sharing and using Theories of Change to design and evaluate social change initiatives.
W K Kellogg Foundation has developed a useful Logic Model Development Guide (2001, PDF, 803kb).
University of Wisconsin Extension Programme Development and Evaluation provides a simple overview of a Programme Logic Model. On this same site you can print off a Logic Model placemat(!), do an on-line self-study module on Logic Models, look through a Logic Model bibliography, and find numerous sample Logic Models.
The United Way of America describes itself as "championing the adoption of outcome measurement in health and human services" in the USA. It has a very useful special website on Outcome Measurement,which includes